And so are Tim Ferriss and Ramit Sethi
The connection I have with Seth, Tim and Ramit are strong enough to get their advice without ever having spoken to them.
I’ve read three of Seth Godin’s books, listened to dozens of his interviews and read hundreds of his blog posts. I know his philosophies. I know the ways in which he looks at problems and opportunities. When I’m in the early stages of shaping my projects, I think about what Seth would do. What would he say about this? How might he look at this situation?
Some of Seth’s key questions:
How can you make it remarkable so that people can’t help but spread your message?
How can you make sure that people cross the street to come to you?
How can you be indispensable and irreplaceable?
I don’t need to call up Seth Godin and ask what he thinks of my project. I know what he cares about. I know the questions that he asks, so why waste his time repeating himself? If my ideas can pass this stress test, that’s a good sign.
Once the project sounds good to Seth, it’s time to see what Tim Ferriss would have to say about it.
Some of Tim’s key questions:
How can you become world class as fast as possible?
How could you make it sustainable to produce?
How could you take what already exists and do the opposite to make something uniquely valuable?
After listening to hundreds of hours of audio from Tim’s podcast, reading The Four Hour Work Week and listening to other people interview him, I’ve found these to be some of his most important questions. If I called him up with an idea, I bet he’d ask some variation of these questions.
Start to know your heroes so well that you don’t need to meet them to get their advice.
Lastly, let’s look at some of the things Ramit Sethi of iwillteachyoutoberich.com might have to ask. If you don’t know Ramit, don’t be put off by his blog title. He started off as a personal finance blogger, grew his following and now creates premium courses to help take your life to the next level.
Some of Ramit’s key questions:
How can you be the best, not the cheapest?
How can you position yourself so that people are begging to pay for your work?
Why not take a stand for who you are in order to differentiate yourself in a crowded market?
Executives pay thousands of dollars an hour to get coaching from any of these three people. While it would be incredible to have the opportunity to look one of them in the eye, I can get so much value just from knowing how they view the world.
It’s great to read widely and consume a lot of different content, but there’s immense value in diving deeply into a few people’s work. Start to know your heroes so well that you don’t need to meet them to get their advice.
Some background on Seth, Tim and Ramit
The reason these three people are on my list is because they represent something greater than creating a successful business. They represent originality. These people don’t compromise their personalities. Seth doesn’t read his reviews even though he’s written 18 best-selling books. Tim started his podcast as a side project and purposely designed it to be different in a way that was sustainable to produce. Now it’s one of the most popular podcasts of all time. Ramit doesn’t compromise his voice in order to appeal to a few more people. He speaks with authenticity and wisdom about the science of how we make decisions.
All of these people are extremely successful, but more importantly they are using their stature to improve the lives of others and democratize knowledge.
There’s a saying that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time around. The more I can understand their world view, the closer I am to having their brilliant mind in my inner circle.
Who are your top three thought leaders? What would they say to you when you’re feeling stuck?
Disclaimer: This idea isn’t an excuse to not have mentors that you do speak with. They are invaluable in connecting you with others and also can be there to give you great advice in times of need.
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