Minute With Mallon: Act As If!

Something I Taught:

I get my hair cut at a Dominican barbershop by a young man named Chris. He’s meticulous, an artist! He truly gives me the best haircut I've ever had.

The shop is "different!" There are at least 15 barbers, Hispanic music is blaring, and I'm usually the only guy there with gray hair! :)

But I don’t just go to Chris because of his excellent skills, or for the atmosphere. The reason I use Chris is that he thinks differently. He's got a ton of potential and ambition, and I know he's going to own his own business one day.

Chris and I have a unique relationship. He cuts my hair, I coach him. He wants more and is saving up for his own shop. He has a great mind and I've noticed that all the other young barbers there look up to him. In short, he's a leader.

On my last visit, we were talking about his vision for his future business. He went into great detail about what he wants and how he wants to take care of his clients. He also talked to me about how he would manage the barbers who will be working with him. 

As I looked around the shop, I saw that there was a disconnect from what he was talking about and what I was seeing.

The music was blaring, there was hair all over the floor. I mean EVERYWHERE! I can hardly remember ever seeing someone sweeping in the shop.

At a certain point, we had a lull in the conversation. I shut my eyes and my thoughts just started racing.

If you're going to be a business owner, you must ACT AS IF!

Chris trusts me, and he knows I have his best interests at heart when we talk. But for several minutes I debated whether to speak my mind to him. Ultimately, I decided that it was best not to keep my thoughts to myself.

"Chris, look at the floor. What do you see?" 

"It's filthy," he said. "The owner talks to the guys but he never makes them clean up or holds them accountable." He went on to tell me that in the break room, not many put away their plates or cups, and that it really frustrates him. 

I asked him to look around his station. Hair was all over the floor, too. 

"Chris, these guys look up to you. But you're not sweeping either. If you want to have your own shop someday, you've got to begin acting as if you already owned one and it starts right here."

I asked if I could make a suggestion. He said yes.

"Chris, when I leave, why don't you go grab a broom and sweep your area? Do it with a smile on your face, not like you're angry about the other guys not doing it. If they laugh or mess with you about it, just smile at them and do it anyway. Then do it after EVERY customer whose hair you cut." 

He got the point: you have to behave like the person you want to become before you can become that person. 

I believe in Chris. And I'm hoping he took my advice. I guess I'll find out next time I go get a haircut. :)

So where do YOU need to begin Acting As If? What part of your life do you want to grow in? Don't wait! Take a step right this minute. Begin acting it today. And don't tell me you don't know how. What's one step? Now take it!

Text me at 770-906-7397 and let me know what you came up with. Do it now! I'd love to hear it. That small commitment, that one step could change your life in a very positive way! 

Act As If!

Something I Learned:

One thing that I learned in the book The 12 Week Year really crystalized my thinking. Here's the passage:

“The secret to living your life to its potential is to value the important stuff above your own comfort. Therefore, the critical first step to executing well is creating and maintaining a compelling vision of the future that you want even more than you desire your own short-term comfort, and then aligning your shorter term goals and plans with that long-term vision.” 

So the key is to focus on the vision and to fight the desire for short term comfort. 

In short, put the bag of potato chips down now! :)

Something to Ponder:

A tired dog is a happy dog!

Something I Saw:

My green beans are coming up!

Thanks for investing a few minutes with me.  As you think about what you’ve just read, what is the ONE THING that you’ll do or implement in order to make your life better?

Got a comment?  Reach out to me at 770-906-7397!

Have a wonderful week!

Robert