On Unhealthy Shortcuts

Very few shortcuts are healthy (here’s one). Most are an attempt to get results now without having to pay the price for those results.

There is no shortcut to exceptional health. You have to do all of things that lead to exceptional health, like getting enough sleep, making healthy food choices, getting enough exercise, and staying away from things that are harmful. Anything shortcut you take likely harms your overall health.

There is no shortcut to true wealth (whatever that means to you). If you want financial freedom, you have to work hard and hustle. You have to create more value than anyone else. You have to create more value for more people. You have to put some of your money away for later. Any shortcut you take is a pipe dream at best, immoral or illegal at worst.

There is no shortcut to excellent relationships. You have to care enough about other people to make frequent, meaningful deposits in those relationships. You have to spend time with the people who matter. You have to listen. You often have to put their needs first (and the most successful relationships you will ever have will be a contest when it comes to putting other’s needs first). Any shortcut you take with relationships only damages them.

There is no shortcut to building your brand. You have to be someone that creates value for other people. Influence isn’t something you do; it’s something that you are: influential. It takes time. It takes commitment. It takes character. Anything you do to shortcut the process makes you a candidate for a reality television show.

Well, this is THE sales blog, isn’t it? There isn’t any shortcut to selling faster. You have to do the work good selling demands of you. You have to make the calls. You have create value. You have to go through your process, even if it feels like you can skip some steps. Any shortcut you take only makes a sale less likely—and stretches out the real timeline.