Hey there..

WARNING: TODAY'S NEWSLETTER CONTAINS MANY ACCOUNTS OF THE WORD BULLSHIT. IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO THE WORD - FOR BOTH OUR SAKES: STOP READING NOW!

JUST KIDDING. I'LL OFFER YOU THERAPY TO TAKE CARE OF ANY TRAUMA

Now that we've gotten that out of the way...

Let's begin....

Yesterday I got an interesting email from a subscriber...

He mentioned a lot of things but the one thing that intrigued me was this:

“I don't think you make this much money in coaching. If you do, send proof and list of clients so we can verify because I don't think as you are anybody will pay you that much in Nigeria”

#smh

The contention was the $5000 I asked for a day with me.

And whilst I sent this dear subscriber a 3000 word response that very respectfully helped him understand his current position in the circle of life...

I do understand where he is coming from,

Unfortunately for his self esteem...

His current perception of me has nothing to do with my reality.

I was curious to find out what exactly it is about me that made him think I couldn't command such rates...

Turns out he read I don't own a car in Lagos...

I use taxis....

And I apparently don't look like a successful coach

#evillaugh

I thanked him for sharing and then politely reminded him of the unsubscribe button at the end of all my emails...

And his response cracked me up

he said

So that you can start charging me to abi?

I told him I'd be sharing this and he said he was cool with it.

I happen to have a radical level of self acceptance and so it takes a lot to get to me or distract me once my mind is made up...

Most people are not that fortunate.

Most of the time...

Your people don't realize they are holding you back.

It’s not a conscious, malicious action...

It’s just human nature.

There is a world of bullshitters out there..

Some don’t know better...

And some know exactly what they are doing.

In order to navigate this...

We must master the “philosophy of bullshit™”

But first...

It’s important to realize that a liar and a bullshitter are different people.

A liar knows the truth and is trying to convince you that the truth is not the truth.

A bullshitter either doesn’t know the truth or doesn’t care.

They are only interested in persuading you of something - no matter the cost.

A liar is trying to convey misleading information...

But a bullshitter isn't interested in passing information of any kind at all.

They are only interested in persuading you to accept an idea or take a stand no matter the cost.

This makes a bullshitter far more dangerous...

And bullshit can be compelling because it involves language...

Statistics...

Data...

And other forms of presentation designed to impress, overwhelm or persuade...

And all this is presented with blatant disregard for truth, logic or the information that is actually being conveyed.

So now that we know what bullshitting is about...

How do you call it out?

On the surface...

That might sound like a bullshit question...

But if you are serious about achieving your most important goals...

Or being the very best you can be for your clients...

You'd take the question seriously.

Knowing how to confront...

Call out and...

Manage bullshit in a way that helps you get where you want in your life and with your clients is a vital skill.

One of the interesting resources I've read on linguistic theory and the power of language is the book "How To Do Things With Words" by J.L. Austin...

You can get an interesting brief of the first 2 chapters in this commentary on youtube...

Anyways...

One of the core concepts that J.L. Austin talks about is what he calls a “performative utterance”

A performance utterance is a statement that describes, alters or creates social reality.

For example:

“I pronounce you husband and wife.”

or

“You are under arrest.”

These statements aren’t just describing an act...

They are altering the reality of the people they are spoken to or actually creating a new reality for them.

Now here's the thing...

Imagine for a moment that a police officer ran around placing people under arrest for no reason at all other than because (s)he has the power.

Without good cause...

Evidence...

Or sound reason...

That police officer would likely lose the authority to put people under arrest.

Abuse of power will destroy the impact of the words.

When you call someone out on their Bullshit by saying...

"That's Bullshit!"

or

“I call bullshit”

Those are performative utterances.

They have the power to change the reality of the person they are spoken too and as a result can cause tension.

We need to be able to call bullshit...

But we also have to be aware that it can get us locked up, punched, discredited and even killed!

Especially when you do it on a social environment like X.

If we do not have good cause...

Evidence...

Reason and sound logic to call bullshit...

Our words will lose their power to change social reality.

And we definitely don't want that happening.

So...

We must get good at identifying it and avoiding it...

And develop the skill of calling it out.

To become a good bullshit caller...

Here's how I go about it.

First...

Treat others with respect.

This seems like a no-brainer...

But spend a few hours on your favorite social media channel and you will realize quickly that this is not the norm.

We are developing the capacity for calling out bullshit...

Not a capacity for being disrespectful.

Remember...

We are not trying to win arguments...

We are trying to get to where we want to be.

Remember that when next you get bullshit from your...

Clients..

Wife/Husband...

Friends...

Colleagues...

Coach/Mentor...

Second...

Call bullshit on claims, not people.

It is never wise to make personal attacks on people or take criticism personally.

The target is bullshit, not bullshitters.

There are a few reasons for this...

The biggest being that...

Attacking people creates friction and slows down high performers.

With your clients...

Criticize the behavior not the person...

Their habits not their values or beliefs.

Third...

Always have room for different views.

Do not make others feel unwelcome..

Or unsafe for speaking their mind

Or thinking differently.

If others do not feel safe to call you on your own BS...

You’re just handicapping yourself.

On the path to becoming a high profile, highly paid person of influence in your field...

Learning to spot bullshit is a powerful skill.

Knowing how to call it out without going on a distracting crusade against the bullshitters is a superpower.

Mastering how to recognize it in yourself is pretty much godmode-activated™

One particular form of bullshit that we are all susceptible to is this:

I already know what to do.

If you know what to do to change the quality of your results but you're not doing it or getting the results that you want...

Then the fact remains that you actually don't know what you think you know.

Get some help from a qualified source.

We've tried by ourselves but nothing seems to work....

It's pretty obvious that we need help.

Will today finally be the day you make that decision to get help...

Or

Will you just keep bullshitting yourself?

Hit reply and let me know.

Tomorrow...

I'll give you an update on my week using the Results Engine.

Hopefully it'll inspire you to do start a weekly habit that can potentially change your life.

Till tomorrow

Get out of your own way and play a bigger game than you've ever played before.

CTM

PS: Start the year right kicks of today at 6pm WAT and our first session "Creating a Quantum Leap Year" is guaranteed to provide you with a 10x return on your investment.

If you missed out on being a part of the Start The Year Right Program but would like an opportunity to have me privately help you:

• Get really clear on your targets & goals
• ​Map everything in one place to get a high-level map of your year
• Stress test your plan so it doesn’t overwhelm you
• Create certainty that it's the right plan for you and your business, RIGHT NOW
• Unpack all of your personal commitments
• Feel confident you've got a year ahead of you, you ENJOY LIVING!

So You CAN have a business year that:

• Lets you do more of the work you love
• Allows for plenty of time with your family & friends
• ​Hits your financial targets with ease + less stress
• Establishes an unbeatable competitive advantage
• Supports the lifestyle you want
• ​Prevents you from being a slave to your own ambitions

Hit reply and lets talk.

Your investment for this is just N4.5m ( or $5000) for the day within Lagos.

Outside Lagos or Nigeria...virtual options via zoom are available.

I wouldn't be doing any travelling till the second half of 2024.

Want me to do this with your executive team in your business?

Sure...let's talk.