Hey there!

When I first met Kam (My longest standing Diamond Mastermind member)...

It was at an event I was speaking at.

After the event, he invited me over to spend some time with him.

At that time I had only just launched the Highly Paid Experts Network and had just 3 platinum members.

Diamond level membership at the time was roughly N1.5million.

Platinum was N300000 a year.

This was back in 2015.

Those figures kinda make me laugh these days..

Anyways...

We got talking and I figured he'd be a great candidate for Diamond.

So I invited him to join me at the Diamond Level.

And the following conversation took place.

It's not word for word but the spirit of it is pretty much the same.

Kam: What's your Monday going to be like?

Me: Well typically I get my kids ready for school. The bus comes to get them by 8am.

By 9am, I'm meeting with and reviewing reports from my manager in Calabar.

Kam: You mean you run a business outside of your Highly Paid Experts Network?

Me: Yes.

Kam: What business do you run?

Me: Three actually. Effy's Beef which sells meat. Primedia Communications Ltd which publishes PowerIdeas my monthly audio series. And finally the VIP Branding Agency which manages branding and digital marketing for individuals and organizations.

Kam: So you're actually doing the things you talk about? You are the primary care giver to your kids and still manage to run 3 businesses in addition to the membership you want to enroll me in?

He paused for a moment and then said - How much?

And the rest as they say is history.

By the way...

Kam is a billionaire. My very first.

Later in our relationship, I asked him what made him decide.

He said: Contact with reality

That was the first time I head those words.

It means you're in the trenches and will not make recommendations that you are first not willing to take yourself.

It means you will not expose people to risks that you would not expose yourself to. 

“Contact with reality” is a difficult concept for many to grasp.

Many professions have contact with reality by the nature of their work.

Pilots and doctors, for example, have direct contact with reality.

They have skin in the game, and they are directly punished for their mistakes or errors.

This means that they adjust quickly...

They learn on the job and become better with time.

This is not true for coaches, consultants or anyone that does not share risk in the decisions they make or the things that they say.

Think of it this way:

If a leader makes a decision to go to war, and they are on the front lines...

They have contact with reality.

If a leader makes a decision to go to war...

And they sit in their air conditioned office sending a bunch of strangers to the front lines...

They lack contact with reality.

The leader that knows he/she is going to be on the front lines...

Typically will be more trustworthy...

They'd be more discerning about the decision and the strategy because they

are in the thick of it.

When I work with people in creating high ticket transformational programs...

One of the critical things I get them to do is hold themselves to high standards of accountability for the promises that they make.

In other words..

If you can't prove beyond a shadow of doubt that you can deliver a result...

You have no business selling high ticket.

Lack of contact with reality is appealing to many people in the coaching and consulting space...

Why?

Because it’s easier to cover up your short comings by saying things like “You need to fix your mindset”.

Alot of the time when I hear that from a coach...

They don't even know how to help someone fix their mindset because they don't even know what it means to fix mindset...

Smh...

When a dentist is wrong...

And pulls the wrong tooth...

They don't get to say “fix your mindset”.

They are held accountable for actions and have no choice but to get better at the job.

The top 1% are sophisticated...

And they can tell when someone has contact with reality or not.

What's that got to do with our conversation from yesterday?

Just this...

Clear thinking...

Consistent frameworks...

Only come when you have contact with reality.

Here's something else:

A few years back I took a course with the International Chess School...

One of my best investments as far as reality based thinking is concerned..

A chess grandmaster isn’t trying to move forward with every move.

They’re always putting themselves in the best position possible given the reality of the board.

What’s does that look like?

It depends on the board.

Sometimes a move that appears to be backwards..

Exponentially strengthens their position on the board.

They don’t have step by step plans...

They have evolving strategy.

Most people stay stuck because they’re playing checkers and following checkers players.

I on the other hand on play chess all day long.

And I only follow Chess Grandmasters.

Titans are playing chess.

And they know that the next move is always always locked in the words: IT DEPENDS

Tomorrow...

I'll share a unique twist on the whole structure of luck.

Ever wondered why some people just seem to keep winning...

While others can’t seem to catch a lucky break?

I spend a lot of time studying successful people AND unsuccessful people and it’s made me view “luck” differently.

I'll share that with you tomorrow...

You're gonna love it.

Till then...

Get out of your own way.

CTM