Unleash Your Genius

Did you know that 99.97% of the population cannot remember more than five items at a time just based on rote memory? For example, if a person were to look at a list of 10 items and then had to recall the items in a random order (e.g.: “What was number two? What was number eight? What was number one? What was number six?”), most individuals would be lucky if they could recall 3 items correctly. Interestingly enough, individuals who can recall the entire list are elite enough in terms of memory to be considered ‘genius.’

I recently hosted a small retreat in the Smoky Mountains with Mike Michalowicz and at the beginning of the retreat, Mike taught us a quick tool to tap into our picture memory. He then gave us 10 minutes to memorize a list of 10 random items that we would be asked to recall at any time throughout the weekend.

Without the proper tools and training, this seems impossible, but within a few short minutes, our small group was elevated to the top .03% of the population in terms of memory. Week laters, I can still recall the random list exactly.

What was most interesting to me was that I have been taught similar tools in the past that never made such an impression. When Mike broke this tool down, step-by-step, memorizing the entire list was completely possible.

What was different? Two keys:

  1. The Tool

  2. The Trainer

Having the right tools drastically elevates your ability to operate as a business owner! But too often business owners place too much emphasis on the tool itself. Mastering the tool is important, but it’s not the only key to becoming exceptional! In fact, as I discovered in the Smokies, it is as much about the person giving you that information as it is about the tool itself. The tools must be taught by someone that knows how to use and teach them.

Make sure you have the right tools and the right trainer. As long as you try to work with only one or the other, you will continue to struggle. ​

Apply this to your business and unleash your genius!

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So, here is what I encourage you to do.

Create a list of the skills you need to develop (and these can be personal or professional). Then I want you to look for the best trainer. Look beyond whether or not they seem to be successful. Quite frankly, it is easy to fake success at this point! Instead, look at the following:

  • What skill sets do they have that enables them to be a good teacher? Do they understand human psychology at a level that will allow them to understand you thoroughly?

  • What is their background?

  • Do they have experience with this particular skill set?

  • Have they failed and if so, are they willing to talk about it?

Pro tip: The ones who have “failed” often make for extraordinary teachers. But the key here is to determine whether or not they are willing to talk about it! I often find that when the failure is too recent, or the lesson is not yet learned, people are too scared to talk about the problem. They do not know how to approach it from a disconnected perspective, from a place where they can say, “Yes, I made this mistake. Let me show you how I arranged to never make that mistake again.”

So, all in all. Find a teacher who not only has the skills but also has the ability to teach you the skills Trust me, it will shorten the learning curve exponentially and give you the opportunity to unleash your inner genius and get you into that top .03% of the population!

You've got this!