Make 2019 Different (and by Different I mean Great)

—Keith R. Sbiral

Everything old is new again.  What popular 1930’s trend is back in vogue today?  

I’ll give you a hint.  Historically successful leaders like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Walt Disney, and Thomas Edison (all old, white guy business leaders)  and even author and creative J.R.R. Tolkien, were famous for participating.  The result of their participation was exponential growth in their businesses and pursuits and the “diversity” of thought they obtained from participation helped them accomplish far more than they ever could have alone.

The answer?  Masterminds.

Forbes contributor Stephanie Burns explains, “A mastermind group is designed to help you navigate through challenges using the collective intelligence of others.”  She states further that a mastermind is, “A group of smart people [who] meet weekly, monthly, daily even if it makes sense, to tackle challenges and problems together. They lean on each other, give advice, share connections and do business with each other when appropriate. It's very much peer-to-peer mentoring and if you are lucky enough to get invited to one, you will most likely see a marked change in yourself and your business.”

That sounds superb.

I’m about to start my second year participating in a mastermind group myself.  I can speak to many of the promises of mastermind groups.  I didn’t realize the things that were holding me back before I had my first “hot seat session” in my mastermind.  Before I realized it I was well on my way to solving those problems and exceeding far beyond where I ever had in the past.  All in a year that itself brought significant challenges.

There are literally dozens of reasons to join a mastermind group should you be fortunate enough to receive an invitation.  I’d like to focus on three:

1. Diversity of Thought
The truth is the diversity of a mastermind provides an opportunity to collaborate with people who have faced the problems you currently face, which allows you to think differently about solving your own obstacles.  Women, men, entrepreneurs, public servants, attorneys, business leaders, creatives, and retirees are all taking advantage of this tool to develop their potential and accelerate their achievement.

2. Accountability
Simply having an accountability mechanism that isn’t tied directly to your work or home is a very powerful tool.  A critical component of goal achievement is accountability, and with the support of others who you in turn support, a mastermind provides a network of accountability unmatched by anything you can develop on your own.

3. Increased Confidence and Ability to Grow a Strong Network
Improved confidence is inevitable because you have a safe place to try out ideas and float trial balloons.  Once you have “vetted” these ideas in your mastermind group, you will have the confidence to pursue them out in the real world.  Further, this organically provides you with cross-promotion opportunities, networking opportunities, and potentially even new career opportunities.  The key to finding a perfect job or moving forward on your career trajectory is expanding your network, which can be a very difficult prospect.  With a mastermind, networking and confidence are built-in benefits of participation.

Finding Your Mastermind

Many masterminds have an application process to ensure you will benefit from the group as well as benefit the group.  I suggest making sure that you embrace this selection process.  It is critical to find a group where you will feel comfortable yet challenged and that will foster your success.

Investment

Most masterminds require a significant investment, because investing in yourself is critical component of your success.  I recommend people participate in a mastermind that stretches their budget, which in turn increases their benefit and ultimate return on that investment.  (You can participate in informal, free masterminds but those generally fall apart quickly and aren’t nearly as effective without a qualified leader and without participants having skin in the game, so to speak.)

Benjamin P. Hardy, contributor for inc.com explains, “when a person begins investing money into themselves, they experience what I call a ‘psychological upgrade.’ This idea came to me while listening to Joe Polish teach….explaining that as people we all have a cap of what we believe we deserve in our lives. Until we obliterate that cap, we are stuck….What I found in my research is that the very act of investing money into yourself is one of the most powerful and potent ways to upgrade your subconscious beliefs of what you deserve. When you begin investing in your skills, relationships, and environment, you signal to yourself that you're no longer willing to tolerate mediocrity. You signal to yourself that you're worth more than you currently have. You then put yourself into a heightened environment and surround yourself with people you want to become like.”

Good mastermind groups can be expensive.  I, as well as others I know, participate in mastermind groups ranging anywhere from $9,000 to $30,000 for 6 months to a year.  While these numbers may sound inconceivable if you have never considered joining a mastermind before, most of the people I talk to within these groups openly say they had no idea how they would pay for the group and it was completely outside of their budget but they knew they had to do something.

And without fail, at least in the well-run groups, members speak openly about the exponential return on their investment whether through increased productivity and motivation, new clients, dramatically increased revenue, and new opportunities.

Take Action Now

My advice is simple.  Mastermind groups work.  Embrace what works. Don’t reinvent the wheel.  Give yourself the confidence, connections, and accountability to achieve all of your goals.

Apochromatik will be offering a limited number of spots in our Future In Focus 2019 Masterminds.  Go to www.futureinfocus2019.com.  Future In Focus 2019 Masterminds are designed for those interested in a six-month Mastermind at a financial commitment well under $9,000.

Make 2019 the year you stop sliding and start taking action.