What does Abe Lincoln the Vampire Hunter have to do with my business?
First off, not my typical movie genre choice, but it was/is for my young companion, so I watched this movie a couple of weeks ago. The strength of character has not left my mind so I felt compelled to write about it.
There were two things really stand out for me in this movie. (WARNING: Spoilers may be ahead, if you haven’t seen it…)
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, discovers vampires are planning to take over the United States. He makes it his mission to eliminate them.
- Abe, was not good with guns, but he was good with an axe. He knew to stick with what he knew well and felt comfortable with even when faced with Vampires! I think there is a correlation here for the business world. There are so many competing ideas of how to execute your business marketing. It’s likely best to stick with what you know (genius ability), are good at and then slowly expand and test other resources or outsource/partner, if you need a gun shooter.
- Once Abe knew what tool to use, his mentor led him to a giant tree and said, “Okay, cut it down with one chop.” Abe knew this was a daunting task and had doubt this was even possible. After a few attempts, his mentor said, “What do you really hate?” After a few more attempts, and this was the key as in business, “What is your WHY” or “True Definiteness of Purpose” – Abe got into the ‘swing’ of things and found his unlimited energy by defining what he really hated. Of course I’d flip this around for us to, “What are you really passionate about? What do you really LOVE about your business?” Find your strength in that, come from that place and then go chop wood.
For me, and I bet many reading this post, going through a few exercises about vision, mission, genius ability, etc, I have answered what I hate and yet knew it was not exactly the right answer. When I stay with the question, it gets refined, the struggle is released and the AHA appears, and most importantly the tree or vampire goes down.
Things got easier for me when I really focused on what I love about my business, about the possibilities to help other entrepreneurs. It became easier to attract a team of entrepreneurs to deliver services (their genius abilities), to support our clients. And it became easier to attract ideal clients who knew what they were good at and where they wanted support. It became easier to tell our story.
To Your Success!
Gary
P.S. One of my goals in life is to live with ease, both personally and professionally. I wish the same for you.
© Gary Evans, Chief Growth Officer
