Freak Show

This is a freak show.

Or better put… a show about a man with ‘freakish self-discipline’.

The show is my latest podcast…

…and here’s the email that my friend, copywriting chief, Kevin Rogers, wrote about it.

Enjoy!

Craig

***

Here’s something I didn’t expect when I became a full time freelancer…

Feeling even MORE overwhelmed with work.

I mean, I worked the equivalent of two full-time jobs to reach the point where I could replace my income from the “day job” with freelance work…

… so you’d think that once I “made it” and just had one job to do now, I’d only be working half as much.

Not the case.

If anything it was twice as much work and twice as much stress.

Most entrepreneurs can relate to this — a little too well.

We hustle all day to keep the wheels turning, only to look up to see the sun’s gone down and we still don’t feel like we’ve accomplished anything important…

… and worse, we still don’t feel done!

When will we ever feel done?

I spent 10 years feeling that way. Un-done.

It’s one of those subjects we like to joke about when we get together.

How days can go by without us leaving the house for anything…

Or speaking with another human who isn’t on Skype…

And how our spouses or roommates come home hours later to find us in the same exact position as when they left, pajama clad and malnourished, staring blurry-eyed into our laptops and calling this “living the dream.”

It IS funny.

Until it’s not.

For me it became very unfunny.

Breaking away from work – even for an evening – became more and more difficult.

There was no switch I could find that turned my brain from WORK mode to DAD mode, HUSBAND mode or even HUMAN mode.

Even Sundays “away” from work began to feel more like torture than relaxation.

I hated the idea that my kids would think THIS is what it looked like to “live the dream” of being your own boss.

If this was freedom, it sure felt a lot like mental slavery.

Something had to give.

I read all the books about how to work less and do more and focus on the ONE thing and be an essentialist.

Good stuff in all of them.

But nothing stuck.

Until Craig Ballantyne came along.

Craig is a rare human being.

Rare for his amazing capacity to CARE so deeply about people.

And rare for his freakish self-discipline.

Everyone who knows Craig has a collection of stories about notes and gifts they’ve received from him. How he’ll pick up on the most subtle thing you mention in conversation, then write a long letter to encourage you about it, or support you through it.

He’s also in bed by 8pm every day, no matter what.

There’s other stories about Craig being surrounded by 50 friends who all flew in for a holiday party to celebrate the year’s success, and just as the wine gets flowing and the laughter picks up, “Craig’s making his round of “goodbyes”.

Not because he doesn’t love his friends, or cherish special moments.

But because it’s bed time. And he has lots to do the next day. All of it planned down to the minute.

I know… this is where you check out on the idea of discipline, right?

“Screw that,” you’re thinking. “Too extreme. You’ve got to live for the moment.”

That was my reaction, too.

Until I read “The Perfect Day Formula” and finally got it.

The concept that did it for me was, “freedom is found in structure.”

The book does something that all the other “productivity mindset” books don’t do. It gives you instructions and exercises and checklists to plan your perfect day. (There is one other ingredient that l share in a second.)

It’s the simplest of all things you might think, but are you doing it?

I wasn’t.

Then I started.

Takes a bit of practice and determination at first, but man, when it kicks in, the results are nothing short of winning your life back.

Does that mean I go to bed every night at 8pm?

No.

Would Craig chide me for that.

No.

He knows he’s an extreme case.

Yet, when all his friends and colleagues see the head-spinning amount of important work he gets done in a day, a week, a year, they say, “It’s worth it.”

See, that missing ingredient is your WHY.

Again you know this… but could you name it right now?

You can define the world between those who can and those who can’t.

Because once you know WHY you need to do better, for YOUR reasons, not anyone else’s… or because a book convinced you it’s a good idea… then it’s easy to stay disciplined.

Craig’s mission, for instance, is to help 10 million people transform their lives before the the year 2020. See how clear that is?

In typical “happy surprise” fashion, Craig’s Perfect Day Formula book arrived on my doorstep without a note. No request for a blurb, or a review, or a testimonial or any of the other reasons people “randomly” send you their books.

He just knew it was something I could use. Because I’m human, and an entrepreneur and we can all use it.

And use it I did.

After a couple weeks of fine tuning, the results have been nothing short of astounding.

I no longer feel stressed out all day long. In fact, stress feels strange to me now, so when it arrives I’m able to eliminate it quickly and move on.

I no longer feel distracted by looming “to-dos” when I’m with friends and family, because I end my day by planning the next day so my brain can let go and focus on more relaxing and creative ideas.

I no longer feel guilty about working “too much” because I know how to maximize every minute of my work day so there’s no doubt that I’ve accomplished what I need to.

Which means…

I no longer feel un-done.

I know my purpose, I have a plan to reach my goals, and I don’t let anything keep my from it.

Oh  yeah, one more…

I say “no” — a lot.

As a freelancer who found success despite a lack of discipline, saying “yes” was a deeply rooted habit. I feared missing the opportunities and seeing them go to someone else.

Not anymore.

Now I value only the outcomes I can control, and never fret over the illusion of “missing out”.

So I now have more time to show gratitude for – and invest in – all the incredible opportunities I am given.

Great irony of life as an entrepreneur: We think saying “yes” to other people’s agenda is granting a gift, but it’s just the opposite. It steals from everyone, mostly you and the people who deserve your time and attention the most.

Yes, the concepts are simple.

You’ve read about them before, just as I had.

Then Craig’s book arrived, and life’s never been the same.

I’m pleased to invite you to listen to my interview with Craig today on The Truth About Marketing. You’ll see that he’s no robot, but a really cool guy on a very clear mission.

Listening to Craig in this interview will help you

And because I believe so much in the Perfect Day Formula practices, I’m also endorsing the book and a super cool kit that Craig put together.

You can see my unboxing video of the PDF kit on the show notes page here

If you follow me you know that I very rarely promote other people’s stuff. Only the things I use and feel passionate about. If you’re compelled to give the kit a try and buy it clicking the link under the video, I’ll receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Mostly though, I hope you will listen to this episode and get Craig’s book (available on Amazon).

It gave me my brain back and made me a better biz owner, husband and father.

I can’t think of anything more important than that.

Enjoy,

Kevin

P.S. Whew! Long one today but I needed to share this personal story with you. If you don’t have time to read, just listen to this episode of Truth About Marketing with my guest Craig Ballantyne, his new book, The Perfect Day Formula, had a massive impact on my sanity and productivity. Dig it.