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Success Advice

Why Standards and Values Create Success in Business

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In today’s chaotic world, you and your business must have a North Star. That North Star is a clear list of standards and values. It’s that simple. Your success depends on determining your standards and values and holding to them. The only way to do that is to raise the expectation of yourself and of your business.

Calculate your standards and values by answering two fundamental questions: who are you? And what do you stand for? If your business can figure out those two truths and stick with them, you will stand out. Today’s society accepts subpar as the norm. We need to raise the bar. You will exceed the average and demonstrate why your business is superior if you hold to your standards and values. This discipline will lead you to success. 

Standards and values might not be the sexiest topic. You won’t find the average Joe talking about them at the bar after work. That’s the point. Having standards and values is rare. It sets you apart. Align your values with your core principles and purpose, and your business will grow exponentially. The reverse is also true; if you choose to skimp on your values, if you become lazy, complacent, and unmotivated – or worse, unethical, making poor decisions – your business will fail under the daily pressures of the fast-paced world.

In fact, the moment you start to relax or get too comfortable in your business, is the moment the devil is going to start knocking at the door of your company and your personal life, and it’s all downhill from there. Standards and values are the horsepower, the driver in the success of your company, and without them, you will quickly find yourself lost in a midst of complacent, like-minded, average no-names who never make it in their business or personal goals. You don’t want to be one of them. Average is doing the least amount that you possibly can and expecting the most. Average Joes wash up fast.

Standards and values mean you won’t be easily swayed by the crowd. You’ve got to stick with your own ethics to succeed in business. There’s a big difference between “living the high life” and “living a life of high value.” Living the high life might mean going out to the strip club after the convention with all your sales buddies, justifying it as “networking.” But what I have found over time is that those contacts fade as quickly as the experience of going to the club. On the other hand, the truly high-quality networking contacts that I’ve made, business contacts who I want to connect with or who I aspire to become, I don’t meet in strip clubs. I connect with them in conferences where they are working on their own personal and professional growth.

“Values are like fingerprints. Nobodies are the same but you leave them all over everything you do.” – Elvis Presley

The bottom line? High-value individuals are found in high-value settings. So, audit your environment. Look at where you spend your time, look at who you find in those environments, and see if the kind of people you’re meeting is the type of people you want to grow with or become. If the answer is neither, then you’ve got to raise the bar for yourself, change the game, and shift your environment. By aligning your environment with your standards and values, your business and personal life will uplevel.

Another part of this battle for standards in life is to simply structure your day to make it the best and most productive. This reminds me of the old Trevor versus the Trevor publishing this today. When I was a heroin addict, I went with the flow. I was easily persuaded to lower my standards, to party through the night, usually not ending well. But today, with my higher standards and values, I have found what works for my aligned goals. Each day, I challenge myself to do what’s best for me today.

If you do that in your personal life and in business, you will continually grow and improve.  Perform at whatever “today’s great” is. Thirteen years ago, that would’ve been just not having drugs that one day. That was a winning day. 

Today, making a great day consists of creating legacy, pulling the levers in life that consistently add to my productivity and vision. Look at the billionaires today. Even Elon, love him or hate him, is still making moves, based on decisions of where he wants to shape society with his standards and values. So, which levers are you going to pull consistently, starting today? That’s how you work your standards and values into your life and business growth.

Regardless of what standards and values you choose, giving and service should be a part of your core principles. As much as we’re talking about improving ourselves, to grow our businesses, we can’t overlook that the best part of life really isn’t about us. We need to think less about ourselves, get out of the fame game. It can be a trap. We’ve all done it. We’re all human. But, in the end, it should be more about putting one’s nose to the grind and getting deals done. Is our core value to show off, or is it to shine? 

I’d say, serving our clients, employees, partnerships, and even my family – that’s where I am being my best. When my standards are high in those areas, through service, everybody wins. And everyone is motivated to do better themselves, which dominoes into even greater success.

In the end, what sets you up for success in business is your decisions. You get to choose. You choose what standards and values you have. You choose whether you want the high life or the high-quality individuals. You choose whether you are average, or are excellent. You choose which lever to pull and which lever not to pull. You choose what environment you want to be in and what environment you’re going to avoid. You choose how you’re going to structure your day or whether your day shapes you.

Nothing is completely beyond your control. You design your life. And by designing your life, you design how you’re going to succeed now and in the future. In business and in your own life, it all begins with the standards and values you choose to propel your success.

Trevor Cowley is a 37-year-old serial entrepreneur, investor, and co-owner of Easier Accounting, 60 Day Credit Repair, and an Everbowl franchise. He’s also the co-host of a business podcast that's ranked in the top 1% in the world called, Real Business Owners with his business partner Kale. The Real Business Owners Instagram page has grown to over 130k followers in just two short years and continues to grow day after day. Trevor's mission is to make a positive impact in the entrepreneur space by giving advice to those who are going through the struggles of owning a business. Trevor is passionate about entrepreneurship and plans to continue seeking opportunities that will make a positive impact on his life and others.

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Success Advice

How Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success

Your life is dictated by beliefs and biases that drive your thinking, behaviors, and decisions

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Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success (1)
Image Credit: Midjourney

Pause for a moment and ponder two pandemic-era beliefs: First, closing schools will control the spread of a serious virus. Second, the consequences of such school closures—particularly social interruption and the prevention of immunity—are worse than becoming sick with the virus. (more…)

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Success Advice

How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

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Image Credit: Midjourney

In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be. 

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time. 

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.

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Success Advice

Here’s a Young Man’s Antidote for the Uncertainty of the Modern World

Why do a lot of young guys lack confidence in today’s world? 

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How to boost your confidence
Image Credit: Midjourney

We all have been told that confidence is a key factor in achieving success and happiness in life. But what is it exactly? (more…)

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Success Advice

Toxic Leadership: 5 Ways to Identify a Bad Leader

if you have a leader who displays any of the toxic traits, it’s time to move on to greener pastures.

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Toxic leadership
Image Credit: Midjourney

Let’s be honest, we’ve all crossed paths with a toxic leader in our careers at some point. Unfortunately, while some toxic leaders don’t even bother to hide their behaviour, some know very well how to conceal their true selves behind a strong-built facade. The latter is the most dangerous of the two. (more…)

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