But You Asked Me!

 My friend was frustrated with me.  And I didn’t blame him.  It was my fault.  Let me explain. I had reached out to a friend in my industry.  He was successful.  He had some of the results I wanted.  So I took the leap and reached out to him to ask him some advice.  As is so often the case in these situations, these successful people are happy to help.  They WANT others to succeed.  So he took the time to answer my questions. But then something weird happened.  I argued with him.   Don’t get me wrong.  I didn’t call him names.  I just didn’t listen.  I spent the time telling him “why that would not work for me.”   Finally, with a sigh, he just said, “I don’t know what to tell you.  That’s just how I do it.”   What he didn’t say, because he was too gracious was, “But you asked me, asshole.” We do that a lot don’t we?  As we are working to climb the ladder of success, we want shortcuts.  We want to tap into the wisdom of others, but we don’t always want to put in the work.   We spend a lot of time in our own heads, explaining why that would not work for us. “Sure that works for them, but they are rich.”  But were they always? “I could not do that because…” “I don’t have time to do it that way…” “Yeah but…” “My customers would never pay for that…” Regardless of the excuse, it’s exactly what they are.  That’s why, I think, we struggle to take the advice of those we ask.  It just seems too damn simple!  We want there to be a magic formula that will guide us to success.  But as I often say, simple is NOT the same as easy.   It’s not about the idea.  It’s about the execution.  It’s about putting in the work. So the next time you ask a mentor, buy a book, or listen to a podcast for advice…take it.  Don’t argue with it.  Don’t make excuses.  Get out of your head and do the work. Make sure you never miss an update!  It’s time to sign up for the VIP newsletter.  You can do that here.  We send out a weekly recap of our content in one email.  And of course, if you want to look for some great gifts, check out our website here.

Written by: Kirby Hasseman

Kirby Hasseman is the CEO of Hasseman Marketing & Communications. Kirby hosts a weekly Web show called Delivering Marketing Joy where he interviews business leaders from around the country. Kirby has published four books. His most recent is “Fan of Happy.” His book, called "Delivering Marketing Joy" is about doing “promo right” and is perfect for people in the industry and customers. He also wrote “Think Big For Small Business” and “Give Your Way to Success. All are available on Amazon.