A synopsis of the book “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy

This book is a must for financial advisors. Darren Hardy is a renowned sales and marketing coach. He works with entrepreneurs, leaders and CEOs. In this book, he focuses on practical steps you must take to have insane growth in your business. Darren provides concrete examples of ways to implement the right behaviors to compound your results.

One of my favorite takeaways is his compulsive behavior of tracking everything. He explains that you can’t modify or change a behavior unless you understand the true impact on your performance. I implemented this philosophy and I tracked everything I did from the moment I woke up to the moment my head hit the pillow. I found so many inefficiencies in the way I was managing my time. I even took it to the personal level of tracking my calories and my exercise habits and I lost weight with my behavioral changes.

Another thing I implemented immediately was his E vs E equation – your Entertainment versus Education ratio. Everyone has the same number of hours in a day, including the most powerful and successful leaders. However, they seem to accomplish exponentially more with the same number of hours. It is all due to how they choose to spend their time. Darren suggests you track for one week every minute you spend on entertainment which includes news, television, Facebook, cat videos, etc. You get the point. Then he asks you to log how much time you spent on personal development. It could be an online course, a business book you are reading, a license you are obtaining, etc.

What is your ratio? The bottom 80% of society spends most of their time on entertainment; the top 20% spent it on education. This shift is one of the simplest but it is not easy as it requires a change in habits. You will be amazed at how much time you are wasting on garbage in which equates to garbage out. Your habits and behaviors never lie. If you say you want to lose weight but you have orange Cheetos stains on your fingers, then your habits are not aligned to your goal. There is a lot in this book but I suggest reading it and working through the exercises to truly see the impact.

- Bellaria Jimenez

Words of Wisdom Wednesday | Barbara Bush

Mentorship Tip of the Day: Self Development

Self-Development is key to any successful individual. Build a self-development program with your mentor. Identify your goals and build out strategies to achieve them.

What do you want to accomplish?
What things do you need to achieve this? (i.e. professional coach, professional speaking course, etc.) 

Keep focused on the goal and strategies to get there. Remember, if you don't leave your comfort zone and do things that challenge you, then you aren't growing!

I relate this feeling to hiring a personal trainer to prepare me for my wedding. I work out regularly but I have those days where I walk rather than run on the treadmill because I am tired or just don’t feel like it. With a trainer, I am accountable to someone who is in line with my goals. Someone to push me to do the things I dislike doing (i.e. jumping rope… ugh!). This not only helps me to physically develop myself but also allows me to achieve that next level of fitness I am looking for. 

For business, mentoring and professional coaches are an imperative part to get to the next level in your career. Take the steps below and work toward your goal by building a plan. Remember: Always keep your goals visible!

• Create a self-development plan (goals, strategies, action items)
• Review it with your mentor
• Move out of your comfort zone and grow allow yourself to grow
• Review your plan regularly, adjusting to the barriers that come along the way
• ACHIEVE the next best you!

Be sure to not let mentoring be a one-and-done experience for you. Always continue this journey. Every mentor can bring something new to your career and life. Always give back and be a mentor to someone. I have learned so much from those I have mentored; the experience alone is a very gratifying task.

-Kristen Esposito

Words of Wisdom Wednesday