| 1. Your language
The great Jim Rohn taught me “If there is one thing not to be lazy about; it’s language”. Words are just so powerful- how could they not be when words are what we use to communicate! You don’t need to be the next Shakespeare but it’s always delightful (and rare) to hear from a sophisticated person. It’s not so much the words that make the difference but the confidence and the ability that an extended vocabulary will give you. Exclude words such as “smart” and use “intelligent”, turn”talks good” into “well-spoken” and so on. I have noticed that the more I read from intelligent minds, the more intelligent I ‘feel’ and bit by bit, I have less trouble writing a speech that is not only eloquent but also engaging and inspiring. Work on your language by reading extensively and writing as often as you can. It will pay off, I promise you. It wasn’t too long ago that I couldn’t write an essay to save my life but now I have no problem doing so (especially when you consider that English is not my first language). I continue to work on my language because I’m seeing results, and the results are good.
Make the effort to research a word that you don’t know while going through a book or article. The words and discipline add up. They pay very well. Almost effortlessly you’ll be presented with more and more opportunities simply because of the power of your words. Trust, an extensive and sophisticated languages pays off very well.
2. Your voice
The great and controversial philosopher Friederich Nietzsche said that “we often refuse to accept an idea merely because the tone of voice in which it has been expressed is unsympathetic to us”. It doesn’t take twenty philosophy classes to realize this is true - we DO pay attention to voice more than we do to words. Have you ever heard a girl say “He sounds hot” when they have merely heard a man’s voice and not seen his face. It happened to me once. It was this experience that made me wonder what voice can do for you. Of course I can tell you over and over again how important your voice is, but you won’t really understand until you speak in front of an audience and actually get them focused on you. Just to give you a preview, I challenge you to record yourself and then listen - 9 out of 10 who read this will realize that you actually sound much different than what you thought.
Don’t be lazy about your voice. Take a public speaking class (offered everywhere) or a course (Toastmasters) to pave your way to a more appealing voice. Practicing in front of the mirror is not a silly thing to do, do it. Take every opportunity you have to speak in front of others as an opportunity to improve your voice. I know what it can do. Most of you know of my accent, it was a little worse before, not it’s just ‘not-so-bad’! An appealing voice can move masses and no man should ignore it. Again, take every opportunity to speak up and do it. Not only will you practice your voice, but you’ll also become more noticed.
3. Your looks
You only get to make a first impression once and whether we like it or not, that’s the way it is. As I said on one of my videos “You wanna be prepared always, always, so that you don’t HAVE to get prepared when the opportunity shows up”. Always look your best, look sharp, look ready. It will reduce the chances of others doubting your ability to get things done. Yes, it is true that some people walk the walk and talk the talk, but are not very good at getting things done - but that doesn’t have to be you. Be the best of both worlds. Invest in your clothing. Invest in your image. Shower daily and shave to look great. Work on your body language and practice your smile in front of the mirror if needed. Just like your voice is important, your looks and the way you present yourself are as important. Don’t be lazy about them.
4. Self-Marketing
While it’s one of those things that I’m still learning, I know one thing very clearly - all marketing begins with exposure. You GOT to be out there. Think outside the box and be outrageous in your actions. Recently one of my friends (part of the same campus organization I’m part of) had a tremendous idea to get publicity for our semester party. It was International Women’s Day and as a way of honoring them, we gave roses to 12 girls in each organization in campus. It was a genius, outside-of-the-box idea and it paid off. Everywhere, girls talked about it and it helped us sell all of our tickets (quite fast) and still needing more to sell! Our reputation follows us because of this great idea. Exposure combined with outside-the-box thinking pays off. Speaking or acting with wit and intelligence during social gatherings is one of those things that give you an edge over everyone else. If you’re doing what everyone else is doing for ’safety’, then you’ll have mediocre success at best. You don’t want that.
It’s scary to do self-marketing, very scary. True. I still remember being worried about the embarrassment of telling my friends and new people I met about the writing that I did. While I did tell them I ran a website, I didn’t market myself great enough for them to be excited about the idea of visiting this website. Things have now changed. I found two things 1) People are now hungry for refreshing content, more than ever before (especially college students) and 2) That the basic principle of getting others to ‘buy’ into what you say is to get them excited about what you do in less than 20 seconds. Seriously. If it’s not engaging and exciting during those 20 seconds, it will be rare that you get them excited later. Just think of the roses examples. Seeing a group of guys holding roses is engaging by itself, THAT took a fraction of a second and it paid. Be outrageous enough in every you do, from your clothing to your words and ideas. Be careful though, don’t cross the line from outrageously genius to incredibly silly.
5. Bi-lingual or Trilingual, or “XXXLingual”
I’m fortunate. Very fortunate. I spoke Spanish most of my life. And then I came here. Teaching myself English was not easy, but it paid off. There were plenty of embarrassing and funny moments. Believe it or not, I still tend to forget certain words, but my English today is eloquent and well-pronounced for the most part. Of course, I don’t claim a lot of credit, you have to be an idiot not to speak the language well after five years of being surrounded by people who speak that language (everyday, every time). In our global economy, the demand for multilingual speakers is ever-growing. The entrepreneur who can communicate in multiple languages is one step above. These extra languages are just too valuable to ignore them.
I find myself amazed when I meet a girl who can speak two or three languages; it is just such a turn on and it shows much intelligence and hunger for learning. It also shows cultural knowledge; which, of course, always helps. What a great thing it is to speak more than one language. Tom Church - a very special friend of mine and writer on this site - is currently on a backpacking trip exploring many different countries and he thought of writing this incredible piece “Languages are sexy”. Tom can tell you from experience how important extra languages are.
6. More Than One Skill
Elbert Hubbard has a great quote, he says that “One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary people, but no machine, oh no machine, can do the work of ONE extra-ordinary person”. What a simple truth! Man, because he was created to the image of God, will always have the greatest ability of all living beings (and computers) and that is the ability to think and solve problems. Schools (for the most part) don’t teach one how to live, how to make money, or how to love. They only teach you the skill(s) that are relevant to your field. But how much are they worth? How much can they help you when all of your class mates are being taught the same thing? They only help when you complement them with additional skills, such as the ones described in this article.
Learning how to do accounting is one skill. Learning how to accounting AND finances is higher paying skill. Learning how to make the accounting and financing enjoyable is even much more valuable. Go for that extra skill. No excuses.
7. Team Leadership
Getting people excited about something that you believe in is critical. Not only in business, but for regular Thursday, Fridays, and Saturday nights too (If you’re a party hardy, Sundays work as well). As a member of several organizations right now, and having passed through others, I can tell you that whoever is able to get more people excited about something is the one who is seen as the leader. Titles don’t matter a single bit. I have met ‘Presidents’ who had no control of their organization once o’ ever. It was usually someone else who was the leader and the one people looked up to. People follow the one who can get others to believe in his vision. They will go to that person for help. They will trust him. That person will be the man to go to.
It ain’t easy to become that person. While it is an honor to be the team’s leader; it is also a responsibility. The burden of leadership is heavy, but so are the rewards. However, realize that living is leading. We are always leading either for the good or for the bad. If you’re already leading, you might as well choose to lead for the good.
8. Know your field better than anyone else
Knowledge commands respect. Ignorance triggers mockery. Know your field, prospect, or act very well. The more you know about a certain subject or person, the more flexible you can become. While knowledge is not complete power; it IS the beginning of power. Ian and I started this website knowing very little, but our hunger for knowledge took us a little higher than we expected. We were able to quickly stand out because of the amount of knowledge we possessed. That knowledge empowered us and gave us confidence. It does the same for everybody.
This is why the website is heavy on books. We encourage book reading because it gives you so much knowledge condensed in one book. The experts have already traveled the journey you intend to travel, why don’t read what they have learned so that you save yourself some time? Choose your field - the one you love - and get started on it. Devour books on it and begin to experiment. Whatever it is that you do, be the best at it.
9. Learning to Inspire
Motivational speakers are not very well-paid. Inspirational speakers or figures are. In one of his letters, Ian Smith pointed out to me a phenomenal statement and I want to pass it on to you: “Motivation is ego-driven, while inspiration is love-driven. Motivation is temporary. Inspiration lasts a lifetime.” I believe that learning to inspire is the highest paid skill of them all, and not just in money. This is where all the Jim Rohns, Tony Robbins, Donald Trumps, Will Smiths rank. They are not only excellent in their business or career; they are also an inspiration to thousands, if not millions.
If you can help people see themselves better than they are, then you’re inspiring them. You’re not helping them ‘feel’ better. You’re helping them envision themselves to become better so well, so powerfully, that their vision alone drives them to action. Of course, there is no tricks or shortcuts to inspiration; perhaps this is why it’s such a high-paid skill. It takes years of preparation and character building. It takes hard work. It takes being a serious student. Learning to inspire involves ethics and it involves staying on track even when you want to give up.
When I write these articles, my purpose is not to inform or to marvel someone with temporary motivation. My purpose is to inspire others. It is to awaken the driven force they all have in their hearts. It’s not easy, but I’m happy to say it has worked a couple of times with a couple of articles. One person being inspired is quite enough. I encourage you to learn this skill. There is no measure for it it is just that important.
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CHAT
