5 SECRETS of Ultra-Successful People That Will CHANGE YOUR LIFE
In this episode of The School of Greatness, host Lewis Howes and guest Brendon Burchard examine the key factors behind ultra-successful people's influence. They explore how influencers define their brand and core message based on personal experiences and aspirations. Burchard stresses understanding the target audience on a deeper level than demographics, identifying their mindsets and needs.
They also discuss the artistic, intentional approach to crafting influential content across various formats and platforms. Additionally, Burchard and Howes emphasize adopting a growth mindset, actively working on self-awareness, and surrounding oneself with supportive mentors and peers to overcome obstacles. The conversation provides practical insights into building an impactful personal brand and influence.
This is a preview of the Shortform summary of the Sep 13, 2024 episode of the The School of Greatness
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1-Page Summary
Defining your influencer brand and message
Successful influencers must reflect on personal experiences and distill their core message, per Brendon Burchard: look to your past for unique lessons that align with your desired role model. Use 3 words to capture your brand's essence.
Burchard emphasizes embodying your message through consistency and authenticity across platforms and creative expressions. Lewis Howes highlights evolving your brand as you evolve personally.
Identifying and understanding your target audience
Burchard stresses looking beyond demographics to understand your audience's shared aspirations, mindsets, and pain points. Directly engage them to grasp their needs. Target people ready for growth.
Howes defines his audience as "conscious achievers" - those hungry for personal development. Burchard tailors content for people who've achieved security and crave further empowerment.
Developing intentional, artistic methods for your content
Burchard advises approaching influencing like an artistic craft, with intentionality around elements like visuals, pacing, and tone to evoke specific emotional responses - taking cues from creators like Jay Shetty and treating work as an iterative art project.
Utilize different channels/formats that best fit your message and audience. Maintain consistency and strategic promotion to gain traction.
The role of mindset, self-awareness, and overcoming obstacles
Adopt a growth mindset viewing challenges as opportunities, per Marie Forleo, Burchard, and Tom Bilyeu. Regularly reflect on strengths/weaknesses.
Proactively address insecurities and limiting beliefs. Step outside your comfort zone, like Forleo exploring various roles. Surround yourself with supportive mentors/peers for encouragement and accountability.
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Counterarguments
- Reflecting on personal experiences to distill a core message may not be sufficient for influencers who aim to address topics outside their personal scope or expertise.
- Using just 3 words to capture a brand's essence could oversimplify complex brand identities and limit the depth of the message conveyed.
- Consistency and authenticity are important, but too much consistency can lead to stagnation, and authenticity can sometimes conflict with strategic marketing needs.
- Evolving a brand personally can alienate an established audience if the changes are too drastic or not in line with audience expectations.
- Understanding an audience's aspirations, mindsets, and pain points is crucial, but relying solely on these factors can lead to stereotyping and may overlook the diversity within audience segments.
- Direct engagement with the audience is beneficial, but it can be time-consuming and may not always accurately represent the broader audience's needs or views.
- Targeting people ready for growth excludes those who might benefit from the content but do not yet recognize their own readiness for change.
- Tailoring content for those hungry for personal development can create an echo chamber and limit the reach to a broader audience that could potentially engage with the content.
- Approaching influencing as an artistic craft is subjective and may not resonate with all audiences, especially if they prefer straightforward, practical content.
- Utilizing different channels and formats is strategic, but it can dilute the brand's presence if not managed effectively or if the influencer lacks the skills to excel across multiple platforms.
- Maintaining consistency and strategic promotion is important, but it can lead to burnout and may not allow for spontaneous, organic interaction with the audience.
- Adopting a growth mindset is positive, but it should be balanced with realism to avoid setting unattainable goals or ignoring practical constraints.
- Regular reflection on strengths and weaknesses is useful, but excessive introspection can lead to self-doubt and hinder decisive action.
- Proactively addressing insecurities and limiting beliefs is important, but it can also lead to overemphasis on self-improvement at the expense of content creation and engagement.
- Stepping outside one's comfort zone is generally beneficial, but it should not compromise personal well-being or force influencers into situations where they cannot maintain their authenticity.
- Surrounding oneself with supportive mentors and peers is valuable, but it can create an insular environment that may prevent influencers from receiving diverse feedback and perspectives.
Actionables
- Create a personal brand mood board to visualize your core message and aspirations. Start by gathering images, quotes, and items that resonate with your personal experiences and desired brand essence. This could be a digital collage or a physical board in your workspace. For example, if you're passionate about sustainability, include images of nature, eco-friendly products, and quotes about conservation. This visual representation will help you stay aligned with your brand as you evolve.
- Develop a feedback loop with friends to understand your audience better. Organize a small, informal focus group with friends who share interests with your target audience. Present them with your content or ideas and ask for honest feedback on how it resonates with their aspirations and challenges. For instance, if you're creating content on personal development, ask them how it motivates their growth and what pain points it addresses.
- Journal daily to proactively address insecurities and foster a growth mindset. Dedicate 10 minutes each evening to write about the challenges you faced that day and how you can view them as opportunities. Include at least one action you can take to turn each challenge into a growth experience. For example, if you hesitated to share your opinion in a meeting, plan to voice your thoughts in the next one, viewing it as a chance to improve your assertiveness.
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Defining your influencer brand and message
In the competitive realm of influence, a clear, authentic, and consistent personal brand and message are decisive factors to success. Brendon Burchard and Lewis Howes share insights on honing in on these elements.
Clearly articulate your core message and values that you want to convey to your audience
Successful influencers must deeply reflect on their personal experiences, passions, and the lessons they've learned. Brendon Burchard emphasizes the importance of being a role model for your message and ensuring that your audience understands what you represent. According to Burchard, your integrity and how you energetically show up is the message itself.
Burchard shares that post his car accident, he aimed to inspire people with the idea that anyone can have a second chance in life—to live, love, and matter—if they make it their intention. He suggests looking into one's own past and extracting lessons that could inform the message one intends to share with others. This reflection can reveal a unique perspective that aligns with the role model you wish to become.
Distilling your message into a concise set of words or phrases that encapsulate your brand is crucial. For instance, Burchard uses "live, love, matter" as the core message of his brand, which he has maintained for over 15 years. Moreover, Burchard advises identifying three words that describe who you are at your best and also three words for how you wish others to perceive you as a means of crafting a focused message.
Develop a consistent, authentic tone and style for your content that aligns with your message
Lewis Howes reinforces the need for consistency and congruence with one's message. He shares his shift from self-detrimental thoughts to affirming qualities such as kindness, love, and care, signifying the evolution of his personal brand.
Experiment with various creative expressions to find a method that resonates with your unique voice. It’s crucial to ...
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Defining your influencer brand and message
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Counterarguments
- Reflecting on personal experiences and lessons learned may not always lead to a unique or marketable brand message, as some experiences may be too common or not resonate with a wider audience.
- Being a role model for your message can create an unrealistic expectation of perfection, and influencers may face significant backlash if they fail to live up to these standards.
- Integrity and energetic presence are subjective and can be perceived differently by different audience segments, potentially alienating some followers.
- Lessons from one's past may not always be applicable to one's audience, and personal experiences can sometimes be too niche to form a broad connection.
- Distilling a message into concise words or phrases can oversimplify complex ideas, potentially leading to misinterpretation or a lack of depth in the brand's messaging.
- The three words chosen to describe oneself at best and for audience perception may not encompass the multifaceted nature of a person or brand, leading to a narrow representation.
- Consistency in tone and style can sometimes limit creativity and the ability to adapt to changing trends or audience preferences.
- Experimenting with creative expressions may lead to a lack of coherence in the brand, confusing the audience about the influencer's core message and values.
- Embodying a ...
Actionables
- You can create a personal brand mood board to visually align your values with your message. Start by collecting images, quotes, and items that resonate with your passions and intended message. This visual collage serves as a daily reminder and inspiration for content creation, ensuring that what you share is a true reflection of your personal brand.
- Start a 'Message of the Day' practice to maintain an authentic tone. Each morning, write down a single sentence or phrase that encapsulates your message for the day. Use this as a guiding principle for all communications, from social media posts to emails, to ensure consistency and authenticity in your tone.
- Implement a 'Feedback Loop' with close ...
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Identifying and understanding your target audience
Brendon Burchard and Lewis Howes talk about the importance of understanding the motivations and aspirations of your target audience beyond simple demographics.
Resist the temptation to narrowly define your audience by demographics alone
Burchard explains that the historical necessity for niche marketing strategies was rooted in budget constraints and the limited platforms available for advertising. However, with the potential for much broader reach today, the emphasis should shift from targeting specific demographics to understanding the shared aspirations, mindsets, and pain points of the people you want to reach and serve.
Burchard stresses the importance of knowing what's in the hearts of his audience and suggests direct engagement to really grasp their needs and challenges. He mentions focusing on people ready for the next stage rather than beginners, explaining that marketing should be aspirations-focused to effectively connect with target customers.
Craft your messaging and content strategies to speak directly to the hopes and desires of your target audience
Lewis Howes similarly describes his "School of Greatness" audience as "conscious achievers" – people with a growth mindset looking for personal development and eager to make an impact on others. This characterization transcends traditional demographic boundaries like ag ...
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Identifying and understanding your target audience
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Counterarguments
- Demographics still matter as they can significantly influence consumer behavior and preferences, which can be critical for product design, messaging, and distribution strategies.
- Overemphasis on aspirations and mindsets might lead to overlooking practical constraints and needs that are often closely tied to demographic factors like age, income, and education.
- Direct engagement with the audience to understand their needs and challenges may not always be scalable or practical, especially for larger audiences or those with diverse backgrounds.
- Focusing on people ready for the next stage might cause a brand to miss out on the opportunity to build loyalty with beginners who could grow into their target demographic over time.
- Crafting messaging solely around hopes and desires could lead to unrealistic expectations if the products or services cannot deliver on the aspirational messaging.
- Characterizing an audience based on mindset and aspirations could lead to a form of stereotyping, where individuals within the audience who do not fit the idealized profile are overlooked or underserved.
- Tailoring content to those who have already achieved a certain level of success may alienate potential customers who are in the early stages of their journey and could benefit from the c ...
Actionables
- You can deepen your understanding of shared aspirations by starting a journal where you note observations about the goals and struggles you see in your community. For example, if you notice many of your peers are seeking to improve their work-life balance, you could focus on creating or sharing content that addresses this specific aspiration, such as tips for efficient time management or strategies for setting boundaries between work and personal life.
- Create a feedback loop with your social circle to learn about their current needs and challenges. This could be as simple as starting conversations with friends or colleagues about what they're currently working on or struggling with, and then offering resources or advice that you've found helpful in similar situations. This practice not only helps you stay engaged with the needs of those around you but also positions you as someone who provides value based on real-time insights.
- To connect with people at various stages of th ...
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Developing intentional, artistic methods for your content and platform
Burchard advises influencers to approach their work with the mindset of an artist, focusing as much on their method and the artistic aspects of their craft as their content itself.
Approach your influencer work with the mindset of an artist, not just a content creator
Burchard underscores the importance of influencers being as thoughtful about their craft as actors, musicians, and painters like Picasso and Van Gogh. He explains that high-achieving influencers are intentional and detailed during photo shoots, emphasizing the placement of things and how everything works together methodically.
Carefully consider the creative elements like visuals, music, pacing, and structure to evoke the desired emotional response
He refers to conversations with Jay Shetty, who is very intentional about aspects of his videos, such as scene changes, tone of the music, and how the video appears, aiming to evoke a specific emotional response from viewers.
Continuously refine your "method" to elevate the quality and impact of your content
Burchard cites his own experience of writing "Motivation Manifesto" as an art project, focusing on creating a book with a tone that had not been seen in centuries. Treating creative work as an art project is an iterative process that can elevate the quality and impact of the content while also preventing burnout.
Leverage your platform strategically to maximize reach and engagement
Creators should utilize different distribution channels and formats to find wh ...
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Developing intentional, artistic methods for your content and platform
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Counterarguments
- While approaching influencer work with an artistic mindset can enhance quality, it may not always be practical or necessary for all types of content, especially if the audience values authenticity and spontaneity over polished production.
- Being overly intentional and detailed in photo shoots can sometimes lead to content that feels staged or inauthentic, which might not resonate with audiences looking for more organic and relatable content.
- Focusing too much on evoking a specific emotional response can come across as manipulative if not done with genuine intent, potentially alienating viewers who prefer content that feels more natural and less engineered.
- The continuous refinement of one's method, while beneficial for quality, can lead to perfectionism and delay the release of content, which might hinder the ability to maintain a consistent publishing cadence.
- Not all influencers have the resources or skills to leverage their platform strategically or to experiment with different distribution channels and formats, which could make these recommendations less accessible to those just startin ...
Actionables
- You can create a visual mood board before your next project to enhance the artistic quality of your work. Start by collecting images, color palettes, and design elements that resonate with the emotion or message you want to convey. This will serve as a visual guide and inspiration, ensuring every aspect of your content, from the visuals to the music, aligns with the intended artistic direction.
- Develop a personal content calendar with thematic focus days to maintain a consistent publishing rhythm. For example, dedicate Mondays to motivational content, Wednesdays to behind-the-scenes glimpses, and Fridays to interactive posts. This not only helps you stay organized but also allows your audience to anticipate the type of content they can expect, fostering engagement and a sense of community.
- Engage in a month ...
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The role of mindset, self-awareness, and overcoming personal obstacles
In a world where personal development is key to success, Marie Forleo, Tom Bilyeu, Lewis Howes, and Brendon Burchard discuss the importance of cultivating a growth mindset, practicing self-awareness, and proactively addressing insecurities, fears, and limiting beliefs.
Cultivate a growth mindset that embraces challenges as opportunities for improvement
Marie Forleo stresses the importance of adopting a mindset that is content with the present but still ambitious for the future. From her early career, she learned the value of fully engaging with the present moment while keeping her future dreams alive. Forleo also discusses the benefits of showing up with excellence in every role, even in bartending shifts, which she approached with a positive mindset, focusing on providing the best experience for her customers.
Brendon Burchard’s life-changing car accident led him to a growth mindset where life’s challenges are viewed as opportunities for self-improvement. Similarly, Tom Bilyeu discusses his motivation, which is driven by the challenge of seeing if he can replicate his past success in new ventures, enjoying the process, and proving his capabilities, further illustrating a commitment to growth.
Regularly reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for development
The conversation suggests that these influential figures regularly reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for developmental growth. For example, Burchard advises thinking about three words that describe the best version of oneself, fostering continual self-awareness.
Proactively address your own insecurities, fears, and limiting beliefs
Marie Forleo shares how she overcame financial insecurities by pursuing a variety of jobs while building her coaching practice, showing the willingness to step outside her comfort zone. Lewis Howes talks about transforming his fear of connecting with people into a superpower, and Tom Bilyeu acknowledges his struggle with inefficiency as an area for improvement.
Be willing to step outside your comfort zone and try new things, even if you're uncertain of the outcome
Forleo had to embrace a range of roles to prevent her insecurities about income and job security from hindering her coaching objectives, while Burchard and Howes each discuss stepping outside of their comfor ...
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The role of mindset, self-awareness, and overcoming personal obstacles
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Counterarguments
- While a growth mindset is beneficial, it's important to recognize that not all challenges can or should be viewed as opportunities for improvement; some may require acceptance or a change in direction.
- Excellence in every role is a noble goal, but it can lead to burnout if not balanced with self-care and realistic expectations.
- Reflecting on strengths and weaknesses is valuable, but overemphasis on self-analysis can sometimes lead to paralysis by analysis or excessive self-criticism.
- The idea of thinking about three words to describe the best version of oneself might oversimplify the complexity of human identity and personal growth.
- Taking on various jobs to overcome financial insecurity can be empowering, but it may not be a viable strategy for everyone, especially those with caregiving responsibilities or health limitations.
- Turning fears into strengths is inspiring, but it's also important to acknowledge and respect natural limits and personal boundaries.
- Acknowledging areas for improvement, like inefficiency, is important, but focusing too much on weaknesses can overshadow one's existing strengths and contributions.
- Stepping outside one's comfort zone is often touted as a path to growth, but it's also important to recognize the value of leveraging one's ...
Actionables
- Create a "future resume" to visualize your potential by listing the jobs, skills, and achievements you aspire to have in five years, then identify the steps you need to take to get there.
- This exercise helps you balance appreciation for your current state with ambition for the future. For example, if you aspire to be a published author, include that in your future resume and work backward to determine what writing skills you need to develop and what type of network you should build.
- Develop a personal excellence journal where you record daily instances where you went above and beyond, regardless of the task's perceived importance.
- Keeping such a journal encourages you to seek excellence in all areas of life, from the mundane to the significant. For instance, if you spent extra time perfecting a presentation at work or meticulously organized your home, note these efforts and reflect on the impact they have on your overall satisfaction and effectiveness.
- Form a "growth circle" with ...
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