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Bob Bly Gives Killer Advice. Again

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As I’ve mentioned in this space before, I get Bob Bly‘s newsletter and read it daily for any information that might help me reach my goals. Today I thought he said something that can help anyone, and I wanted to share it.

Bly shared his “3 Simple Steps For Getting Out of A Slump.” Not only were all three steps great advice in my opinion, but they also fit with my values and beliefs as a whole. His steps:

1) Find out what works and doesn’t work for you. I think this can be hard when you’re trying everything to see what sticks, and when you get a smattering of results, you don’t always know where exactly it came from. Taking a step back to find out what is actually helpful, and more importantly what hasn’t generated any results and is thus a waste of time, will make anyone more productive. Also, there are many different ways to be productive and generate results. There’s no one-size-fits-all option here. Or else everyone would be rich and successful, wouldn’t they? It all depends on you, and what it is you’re trying to do.

2) Stop doing what doesn’t work. Again, it’s a time-waster and will only leave you frustrated and less confident in yourself.

3) Do MUCH more of what does work. I love this one because I’ve never been a “work on improving your weaknesses” type of person. If I have a strength, then that’s where I want to spend my time. I believe it’s the best use of my time. Not just for me and my happiness, but also for society in general. That’s how I can best use my talents to help others and hopefully make some type of difference. Everybody wins.

Bly also says, “The natural tendency of human beings faced with difficulty and adversity is to shut down – to retreat and nurse their wounds.” Good, because I do this all the time. And feel like an unproductive loser when I do. I’m glad I’m not alone, and also that it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with me  -it’s simply the way we’re all wired. However, Bly encourages his readers to fight that impulse and take “massive action,” to get moving again. I like that. How long can you sit around and feel sorry for yourself realistically anyways before people yell at you to snap out of it? Not that they’re unsympathetic; quite the opposite. But at a certain point you’re not helping anybody and you’re only hurting yourself. I like his gentle urging to fight what feels natural and instead recreate momentum for yourself.

He also uses the well-known quote, “insanity is doing things in the same way and expecting different results.” My dad‘s been telling me this my whole life. Am I guilty of still doing this? Of course. But it also enables me to take a step back, look at what I’m doing, and stop being so “insane.” Bly encourages people to keep this in mind when they’re trying to break out of their slump -doing things that have a track record for failure is not the way!

His P.S. was possibly my favorite part. “Do not despair if your results from using this 3-step formula are not immediate,” he says. “Often it takes a few weeks or even a couple of months before you start seeing a return on your investment.” Anyone who’s been successful knows that there’s no quick fix or shortcut; it takes time and lots of hard work. But when you put all your effort into something, are already feeling down, and you’ve got nothing to show for it, sometimes it’s hard to keep this in mind. It’d be easy for a guy like Bob Bly, a self-made millionaire by the time he was in his 30s, not to understand. But he does, and that’s why I think his newsletters are so great at connecting with people.

Thanks again, Bob!



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