The phrase “all in” is more or less known in poker. When one player is up against the fence and needs to make a play to drastically change the outcome of the match. Their chip lead is slim to nothing and they need a big up fast. With everything on the line, they decide to go all in. The cards are dealt and the rest of their fate in that moment is up to the chance of the cards. Lucky for you, going all in is a decision you can also make, except your life is no longer up to chance. It’s entirely up to you.
We were sitting at a leadership retreat in Los Angeles, California. The room packed wall to wall with the very best in our company. I’d never met him before but had heard great things. “Let’s give a huge welcome to the man himself, Doug Robinson!” The entire room stood in a roar, applauding him as he walked from the back of the room to the front. Who was this man and how had he rallied soo many people together behind his vision?
You’re probably wondering, who in the hell is this Doug guy? Doug is the CEO and Founder of the current company I work for – LGCY Power. With over $100 million in customer transactions, Doug has reached a level of success that most of us reading this article would love to achieve. Partnering with the Billion Dollar Solar Company – Sunrun – Doug has made power moves that have gotten him to the top. He’s gained the trust of Billionaire Lynn Jurich, so much that LGCY is poised to be Sunrun’s largest and primary partner of Sunrun. Talk about leveling up.
But as Doug confessed to the room of rallying sales personnel, it wasn’t always like this. The pot of gold at the end of rainbow had gone out of site when Doug went (to my memory) $500,000 in debt after some failed business decisions and shady individuals. Doug had been running a huge sector of another company when a series of unfortunate events ensued. The rabbit hole of disaster continued to spiral yet his confidence never wavered.
He had two choices: to let it all happen while his family was depending on him, or to get back to work and hit the trenches. Within 11 months of going half-a-million dollars into debt.. he was back. 11 months was all it took for Doug to claw his way out of $500,000. What makes Doug different from you and I? He went all in.
Be Like Doug
To my knowledge Doug is not a body builder, he’s not a comedian, probably sucks at golf (like most CEO’s) and maybe isn’t the best chef either. Doug definitely does not have a ton of skills, but what he does have are a very few select set of skills. Doug will find you.. and he will kill you. **Insert Liam Neeson voice here**
Doug knows how to sell well and build teams. He’s a normal person just like you and I. He simply worked on these crafts and acquired these skill sets that complimented the strengths he already has. Doug has gone all in on his strengths and hasn’t focused on what he’s incapable of doing. If he did I wouldn’t be working for his company right now because it would cease to exist.
Most of us get caught up in where we suck and want to improve. Or we focus on the skills that we don’t have and self-sabotage by comparing ourselves to those that do have the skills we don’t have. This never works out in our favor as we’ll more than likely give up because we don’t feel like true progress is being made.
What if we focused on what we were good at and found others who complimented our skills with their own skills? What if we bet on our strengths and went all in while allowing others to do the same? I’m not saying we would all miraculously be successful but I’d bet we’d be a lot better off. Personal progress would be made and fulfillment would follow because you’re being the best version of yourself while working together to help others do the same. If millions aren’t made but you felt better about who you are as a person and became more fulfilled with your work, wouldn’t it be worth it? I think so.
Bet On Yourself
Audit yourself and find out who you really are. Find out what you’re great at and what you suck at. Double down on your strengths and forget everything else. Let other’s be the masters in their respective areas and be the master in yours. You do this by staying true to who you are at your core. And it’s not just about knowing yourself, it’s about accepting yourself.
Steve Wozinak coded the Apple Computer, yet Steve Job’s is hailed as the genius. Imagine what Apple would be if Steve Jobs tried to out code Steve Wozniak? It wouldn’t exist! Steve had confidence in Woz’s abilities but more importantly had confidence in his own strengths. Jobs stayed in his lane.
Knowing what you’re good at is the first part of going all in. The second part is sharpening the sword. Being good is not good enough. If you want to be phenomenal you have to work on your craft every single day. Even well after Kobe Bryant had won his 5th NBA title, he was still the first at training and the last to leave. In fact, Kobe wouldn’t leave until he had made 400 shots. While we see the accolades and stardom of Kobe, we didn’t see the work being put in behind the scenes. People are praised in public for what they practice in private, remember that.
Resources
We all have skills, things that we naturally bring to the table. If you aren’t sure what your strengths are, I’d recommend checking out the following. Please note: I will earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the following links. Thank you if you do and no big deal if you don’t 🙂
Strength Finder – Phenomenal book about identifying your strengths. If you’re into reading and want to know what your strengths are, it’s a must read! You can pick up your copy of Strengths Finder here.
Wealth Dynamics Quiz – I really love this quiz, took it some time ago and I have a PDF of my strengths. Gives you your wealth dynamics strengths in web graph format along with famous and successful people who share your strengths. You can take the wealth dynamics quiz here.