Taking Action

The fact is that no amount of new knowledge and learning on its own is going to make any of us wealthy if we don’t APPLY what we learn and take action.

Knowledge combined with action on what you learn is the only way to achieve higher earnings from your increased knowledge. This may be why so many people use coaches nowadays – in order to have some external force to keep them accountable, help them prioritise, stay focused, and do what they say they will do. I’ve known of countless people who swear by coaching.

Self-driven

Personally, I’ve always been very self-driven and like to do things independently.  If there were someone really special and knowledgeable perhaps I would achieve more in life by getting coaching from them, but as it is I’ve done everything I’ve achieved on my own, using courses to boost my knowledge and motivation.

People have been known to say to me that they never would have expected to see me achieve xyz after what I’ve been through in my life, and yet I’ve achieved what they hadn’t anticipated I’d achieve. So comments like, ”you pulled yourself up with your own bootstraps” have often been made to me by close friends and family. 

So the way I go about things is to constantly focus on one major goal that I’m trying to achieve. This will invariably have 3 or 4 interrelated elements to it and a number of sub-element. By being mindful of the progress I want to make on them every week I work my way through all the tasks.

For example, I’ve decided to write another book – probably it won’t be released till mid-2020 but I’m working towards that goal by constantly writing blog posts every week.  These help me clarify my thinking and every week the outline of the book is becoming clearer in my mind’s eye. When it comes to the book writing process, I’ll use some of the blog content but not in the exact form they’re in. I’ll weave sections from the blog posts in with other new content to create something different to what I’ve already published.

The book will introduce a new product. Therefore, as well as the book, I’m creating a new pitch and speech as I introduce some new services which will be features of that product. I’m also repositioning my brand more as a brand management lawyer than just an intellectual property lawyer. That’s due to reading Competing Against Luck by Clayton Christensen which inspired me to think of my business in totally new ways.

Redefinition

That means redefining what we do as a business. When I find a book such as this, that I regard as game-changing, I immerse myself totally in it. I’ll be listening to the book several times, watching as many Youtube videos as I can find on the subject, buying books by others that are following the “Jobs Theory” that it introduces, and generally soaking up like a sponge, the insights this new theory brings to the world of business.

My new product is due to regulatory changes coming into effect soon which are going to have a massive impact on the legal services market.  Many lawyers are going to want to set up companies, innovate, offer solutions to the market. I am well placed to support them as an experienced practitioner and IP lawyer so I want to create an offering for the legal market.

These 3 goals are interrelated and there are numerous other areas I need to progress in order to do well with these aims, such as developing a keynote speech.

Conclusion

So, all in all I’ve got a diary packed with tasks to perform regularly, and that’s how I’ll make the progress I need to make in order to achieve my goals.

I reckon this time next year I will, at a minimum, have written that book, repositioned my business as a brand management and innovation consultancy, and created that product for the legal market.  No way would I be able to do all this without the knowledge I pick up from books, and courses.

If you’re a lawyer wanting to explore how you might earn more from your knowledge in light of the impending Solicitors’ Regulatory Authority changes then register your interest to attend our upcoming event.

This is a follow on piece from the blog over at Azrights Knowledge Economy – The More You Learn The More You Earn