Success Advice
If You Want to Expedite Your Success, Learn How to Learn

Learning how to learn has been one of the most important skills I’ve acquired in my life. I learned how to learn in the Dojo (Karate School) and it has led to continued success.
- I knocked an opponent out in less than 15 seconds to become a bare knuckle Karate Champion
- I became one of the top break dancers in the country
- Turned an advertising agency into a multimillion dollar business in less than a year
- Made AdAge’s coveted 40under40 list
The single thing that led to each of these accomplishments was knowing how to acquire the necessary skills so that I could learn the craft and increase my chances of succeeding.
I focused on developing a new skill every year
I’ll show you how this works in the context of my career and entrepreneurial ambitions.
I’m currently the Global SVP of Search and Content Marketing for the MullenLowe Group.
I slowly gained the skills to get me here. My plan was to develop a new skill every year that compounded to make me the best at digital marketing and eventually become a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).
- Skill one: Video Editing: First I picked up a book called Final Cut Pro For Dummies. I read and took action on the lessons. Soon I learned how to shoot and edit videos and started my own film production company.
- Skill two: Website Design: Then I figured if my clients liked me for film, they would love me for website design. Because of this, I read many articles online which would teach me how to build a website.
- Skill three: SEO and Social Media: The following year I learned SEO and Social Media marketing to help me increase traffic to the websites I was building.
- Skill four: Learning to fail: The following years were hard because I had to buy my business partners out and close my video production company. I learned that I didn’t know enough about business to run my own. Learning this skill was not planned but that’s how life goes.
- Skill five: Learning to recover: I then got a job and found a company that would pay me based on my skills.
“There’s no easy way around it. No matter how talented you are, your talent is going to fail you if you’re not skilled. If you don’t study, if you don’t work really hard and dedicate yourself to being better every single day, you’ll never be able to communicate with people – with your artistry – the way that you want….” – Will Smith
Once I got to the agency world, I learned that most of the people didn’t have the breadth of skills that I had. This made me confident in my client recommendations, confident that I could solve their problems and the results included making them millions doing digital marketing.
The point is that my skills built up overtime toward the goal of being good at digital marketing. The compounded value presented itself in financial reward (my salary), rapid career growth and the satisfaction knowing I helped CEOs and CMOs of major brands find success in digital.
If you are looking to succeed in business, a sport, or your career; then learn the following four tips which will help you be a superstar:
1. Pick a skill
First, chose a skill that aligns with one of your bigger goals. For example, I want to be a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) one day, so I am slowly building those skills over time like I explained above. Video lead to website design which led to SEO and Social Media. Once I learned the hard lesson that I didn’t know how to run a business that became the new skill I started learning.
Action Step: Pick a skill that aligns with a bigger goal. Overtime, you build up skills that compliment each other and help you accomplish the bigger goal.
2. Deliberate Practice
In William Zinsser’s book On Writing Well he says, “ The only way to learn how to write is by writing.” He is absolutely right. Repetition is the mother of all skill. I learned to fight by fighting. I learned how to edit videos by editing videos. Set some time aside to practice your skill everyday. If your skill is learning to code then use it to build a project that forces you to code everyday. It’s important that you put time into deliberate practice.
Action Step: Put time on a calendar to develop a skill. Find a group of people to practice with and exchange notes. Practicing with other people can help keep you motivated.
“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” – Vince Lombardi
3. Keep Doing
Confucius said, “I see and I forget. I hear and remember. I do and I understand.” Once you have gained a decent level of aptitude in your selected skill, keep on doing. Chose another skill complementing the one you are developing. This way both skills develop over time and you get a deeper understanding of each. If you are learning how to code then learn SEO. They compliment each other well and people who know how to code don’t necessarily know how to optimize code for search engines.
Action Step: Pick another skill and repeat step two. This time keep in mind how you can apply what you learn in skill one to skill two.
4. Earn while you learn
Getting paid while you learn is the best. Once you are adept enough in the skill you are learning get someone to pay you to apply that skill. This will not only motivate you to keep learning but you are getting paid to practice. I’ve done this with every digital marketing skill I’ve acquired. I learned Local SEO by getting paid to building the Local SEO product for a company called LocalVox. This worked out because I knew general SEO well and I learned how to learn so I knew I could learn Local SEO quickly.
Action Step: Find someone to pay you as you learn your skill.
The repetition of learning a new skill every year teaches you how to learn. You will slowly build up your own tricks and process to make acquiring and retaining new skills easier.
What is a new skill you desire to learn? Let us know in the comments below!
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
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5 Things You Can Learn From The 5am Club by Robin Sharma

It has been said by Robin Sharma, “5 AM is the time of least distraction, highest human glory, and greatest peace.” This also happens to be the central idea or the core value he has discussed in his book, ‘The 5 Am Club.’ Speaking of early mornings, at what time do you wake up? Are you annoyed by the fact that you wake up on the edge of time and then rush to work in haste?
The life lessons put forth by The 5 AM Club are exactly the learning and motivation you need to challenge your complacency. In your race against time, you may not have the time to read this fabulous book. So, we have summed up the key book’s takeaways for your convenience.
1. The vigor of waking up early
This is what the book’s most fundamental advice to everyone is. Waking up at 5 am every day can work wonders to avert failures and make success a natural habit. When we wake up at 5 am, we have more time on our hands than others. Besides, this is when we have minimum interruptions and maximum powerfulness of the mind.
To add, the early morning peace is priceless! You can schedule your most important tasks of the day between 5am, and 8am. This book teaches us in the simplest way, how we can train our mind and strengthen it to deliver the highest productivity by waking up early. This energy that you have when you wake up in the morning and the few additional hours in your day are what serve as perfect ingredients for success.
“The secret to productivity is simplicity.” – Robin Sharma
2. The power of finding the right balance in life
The book talks about a precious lesson of finding the right balance within. We often talk about the need for mindfulness and achieving the right mindset to perceive things. But this book goes a few steps ahead of our usual approach to life. It highlights the vitality of mindset and introduces the concepts of heartset, healthset, and soulset.
These terms may seem new, but they are self-explanatory. The idea of heartset endorses the essentialness of emotional stability and well-being. Next, the perspective of healthset indicates the need to look after physical health. At last, soulset is an attribute of spirituality. As explained in this book, success prospects can be enhanced big time by achieving the right balance between these internal virtues.
3. The iconic 20/20/20 modus operandi
What is the first thing you will do if you start waking up at 5 am every day? Did you ever spare a thought about it? This book has the answer to this question, and you will be convinced that it is a great way to begin your day!. The author suggests that you should split the first hour of the day into three equal parts of 20 minutes each.
In the first 20 minutes of the day, you should prioritize your physical fitness and exercise. In the next 20 minutes, you should energize your soul and spirit via self-reflection and soulful meditation. This will prepare you for the rest of the day and will enable you to bolster your commitment and focus. In the last 20 minutes of the first hour, you should read and learn. But what are you going to read about in those 20 minutes? Read about successful people and their inspiring journeys to the pinnacle of success.
4. The significance of a proper sleep schedule
In this book, there is a mention of ‘a ferocious global sleep recession’, which is intriguing and enlightening. It hints at the state of sleep deprivation that this world is sinking into gradually. We often associate success and hard work with the notion of staying up all night and testing our endurance beyond limits. But that is not the right approach to accomplishing success, or rather, it is a flawed methodology.
Sometimes even if we do not have any critical work, we keep whiling our night time on social media or television. What are we gaining from it is the real question, and I am afraid the answer is nothing! We learn from this book that it is critical to look after your sleep cycle and start your day at 5 am afresh. Sleep and rest are indispensable for mental and physical well-being, or your productivity will decline.
5. The art of evolving
The book sheds light on the need to be spiritual and master self-reflection. However, do you realize the purpose that the routine of reflection each morning serves? The idea is to keep learning, keep reflecting on the mistakes and keep evolution an ongoing process. You should evolve every day and strive to be a better version of yourself every day. So, one of your primary goals after waking up should be to reflect on your actions and missed opportunities of the previous day.
To recapitulate, The 5 AM Club is a must-read book if you are a passionate reader. It has the prowess and charm to refurbish your perception of life altogether. Even if you cannot read the book for some reason, make sure you incorporate the above key takeaways into your life. By starting your day at 5 am, you can rediscover your lost soul and enthusiasm, and you would not have complaints to make about the lack of time. If you can own your mornings, you can go places on the ladder of success, for excuses are only for those who are not committed to their goals.
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Hempextract
Nov 5, 2017 at 5:38 pm
Brilliant your title describe the whole post its very interesting and informative i get motivated thanks for it.