Business Coach : Sir Isaac Newton
OK. So, Tim, now we’re talking about Sir Isaac Newton, for those of you might have been studying some history. Sir Isaac Newton, he’s this long-haired man that was sort of a big deal. He was an English physicist and mathematician who many believe will be– who was one of the most influential human scientists of all time. And he helped launch the scientific revolution. And he could have been a business coach.
The point is– what do you care– he made this quote. He says, “If I have seen further it is by standing on ye shoulders of giants.” He used the “ye” because he’s old school. But standing on the shoulders of giants, it seems like instead of only seeing what he can see, he would get up on their shoulders and look into the future.
TIM REDMOND: That’s beautiful.
-‘Cause they’d already seen it. Can you talk to me– I’m a business owner, I’m watching this right now, or I want to be a business owner, talk to me about this concept of standing on the shoulders of giants. From a business coach perspective.
-Yeah. Wealth flows through learning. And so it’s from this expanded perspective that you can see the future better. Your business– which camera is it that we need to look at here?
-This one?
-I’m like a human camera. They’ve embedded a camera into my cranium. But you can also look into that camera, too. But it’s embedded in my skull.
-I want to look here, and I want to look right there at that guy, look at that gal looking at me right now. I’m just saying that your business is crying out for your leadership. Leadership from a business coach. And the word leader actually means to set your face towards the future. That’s what leader– leadership is all about that.
And so standing on the shoulders of these giants here, is you don’t read books because you have to– you do have to if you want to succeed– but get to a point where it’s not a have to, but you get to, and there’s a joy in this.
Do you like having a lot of money? Do you like being successful? Well, I don’t like to read. I don’t like to learn. Well, then like to be poor because that’s what you’re going to be, right? Is this too blunt?
Well, I just want to share this. Because if you’re watching this, I’ll just tell you, specifically “Think and Grow Rich,” that book alone, applying the principles, it probably generated $5 million, $6 million for me. Then I think about “The E Myth.” That book, the book “The E Myth” by Michael Gerber, that book is easily responsible for me make another $40,000 or $50,000 every year.
I mean, when you read these books, these are not just ideas. These are things that can actually be applied and can make you a lot extra money here.
-And one thing that I love about you and your approach that really influenced me on this is when you read a book, Clay, and I’ve asked you about this, you will not let go of that book. You’ll squeeze it until it bleeds. And you’re going to demand of yourself to apply something immediately to your business about that.
That’s the difference that makes a difference. Because we read books– wow, I read 50 books! Are you applying it? Because that’s the key. It’s not just learning it but learn in order to do.
-I love what you said there, not because you were talking about me in a positive way. I love that you complimented me.
-I affirm you!
-No, but when I read– I remember going to college, and I had a professor named Amanda. I cannot remember her last time, but I had to take an English class over again, because I do horrible on standardized tests. And she explained to me that every time you learn it, an idea in a book that you could apply your life, you need to write in the margin, dog ear the page, think about how you can apply it. A business coach will help you to apply concepts in your life.
And just that concept of not just reading something to have finished it but not to finish reading it until you’ve applied it was unbelievable to me. Now, I want to read you– I want to ask you this question.
A lot of entrepreneurs watching this are definitely tempted to– you get to a point where you say, well, I’m not a reader, I’m not a movie watcher, I’m not a Thrive online content viewer. I’m just going to go out there and learn from mistakes. Now, what would you say to the entrepreneur who’s tempted to learn that way, to learn from mistakes?
-OK. You have to look at how much– to buy a product, you’re going to have to know how much you’re going to have to spend on that product. So I’m just saying, economically, you’re going to spend a lot more dollars buying that mistake than you will buying the learning. The learning is about $14.
And I buy used books on Amazon. Go Amazon. I buy Kindle, I buy all kinds. And I’m talking about $10 to $14. And if I really read it in order to apply it– not read it to grow wiser but read it to apply it– if I do that, I’m going to spend a lot less on the learning than I am on the mistake.
-I just want to make sure that– hopefully you’re hearing that. It gets a lot less painful, monetarily, to learn from mentors than mistakes.
-Yeah. Clay, I’ve talked to so many people. Because we work with entrepreneurs, we business coach them. I was just with a guy this morning. Anyway, it was like, well, I just want to be original! OK, so you’re going to reinvent the wheel? How is that square thing going for ya? It’s like, we–
-[LAUGHS]
Square wheels. I’ve heard this from Steve Jobs and other good friends of mine– personal friends of mine. Someday we’ll be– someday we’ll have– I’ve got you as my personal friend.
-That’s right. We’re very personal friends.
-All right. So he says, it’s a lot cheaper– it’s a lot cheaper to be a pirate that a pioneer.
CLAY CLARK: Boom.
-And so why do we want to reinvent everything? Build on what you’re building. Build on the shoulders of these people. That’s how innovation, that’s how technology, that’s how business, that’s how life happens. It gets better because we built on the business and the knowledge that other people have already ability before us.
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