Do you know the difference between living in poverty and being wealthy?
You may have brought to mind a certain amount of money, or luxury possessions (or lack thereof) when I ask that question.
But here’s the truth…
I’ve spent years studying the difference between poverty and wealth and in my opinion it comes down to one simple concept:
The wealthy buy time back so they can do as they please and achieve their goals.
The impoverished don’t have the access or ability to buy their time back. They spend their time trying to survive the day-to-day challenges they face.
Before you make any further assumptions, I want you to know that I have experienced both ends of this spectrum.
I’ve been incredibly poor in different seasons of my early life.
As a child with six other siblings, I grew up dirt poor with very little.
In my early twenties, I was making a lot of money, but I wasn’t wealthy.
Then in my mid to late twenties, I was broke again after losing my home remodeling company in the housing market crash.
Fortunately and gratefully, I’m once again wealthy in this season in my late thirties.
And yes, I do have money in the bank, but I’m specifically talking about the wealth that allows me to spend my time where I choose to spend it.
I remember learning a couple of years ago that women in developing countries spend six to eight hours per day finding and carrying water home to take care of their families.
This poverty they experience comes from a lack of access to clean and nearby drinking water.
That’s why I began supporting Charity Water.
(You can donate any amount here and make a huge difference for those who are currently struggling with one of the most essential needs, clean water: https://www.charitywater.org/gabearnold)
By investing in Charity Water I’m compressing time for those in need.
Poverty is not just a problem for the poor. It’s a problem for all of us because that deficit in the world economy impacts us too.
Wealth comes from having both the knowledge and mindset to invest in your own time compression, and the resources to do so.
Wealth does not come from a single person’s efforts, but from a community that chooses to invest in what’s best for everyone.
I realized much earlier in my entrepreneurial journey that the old saying “rising tides raise all ships” was a great saying to remind myself of what matters.
I know that if I spend time investing in time compression skills for myself, and I also share that knowledge with people like you, then we can all win.
Most of us struggle early on in business because we don’t have the “clean water” that our business needs to grow and develop.
We spend hours, days, and weeks chasing solutions that don’t quench the thirst our businesses have.
And do you know what healthy business thirsts for?
Effective marketing that brings in the right kinds of prospects.
Your “clean water” may be one type of prospect, and my “clean water” may be a completely different type of ideal prospect.
What matters is that you find a consistent way to generate new leads for your business through effective and consistent marketing.
And here’s the good news and the bad news:
The good news is that you don’t need a flow as big as Niagara Falls to be successful, you just need a steady flow of fresh new “clean water” leads.
The bad news is that sometimes as we go along things muddy up the “clean water” of marketing.
Funnels break, referral sources slow down or stop completely, team members who were producing stop producing or enter a new critical role and can’t focus on marketing anymore.
What’s key to remember is that it’s not anyone else’s job to create your “clean water” marketing channel.
It is your responsibility to protect, adjust, and manage the flow of leads that nourishes your business.
You can either blame others when things aren’t working, or you can take responsibility and work with the resources you have to make it better.
The other thing that I highly suggest you do is invest in time compression.
You can either learn all the marketing skills on your own (digging a well by hand) or you can invest in tools, experts, and processes that will allow you to get the “clean water” flowing at the right speed for your business.
In the developed world, where most of my online family lives, our challenge is less likely to be a lack of resources.
It is more likely to be our own poverty mindset.
When we don’t invest wisely in time compression, and instead think we should tackle everything on our own…
(by gaining the knowledge and skills to learn marketing or whatever other thing our business currently needs on our own)…
…we are deepening our own poverty and moving away from wealth.
Today I want to encourage you to make a change that will clean up and increase your flow of “clean water” in your business.
Refocus the resources you have on compressing time so you can become more wealthy.
Realize that money is relatively easier to make more of compared to making more time.
Think about your day-to-day choices and ask yourself “Am I living in scarcity and as a result losing valuable time?”
If you’re honest with yourself and the truth is that you’re making choices with a scarcity mindset, make the commitment to change those behaviors today.
And…
If one of your challenges is not having enough “clean water” marketing in place to support your business, then I’m inviting you to invest in compressing time there too.
In the next week, I’ll be announcing a special marketing workshop where I teach you to find more of your ideal clients.
It’s a process that’s simpler and more effective than almost anything else out there that most people I share it with have never heard of or tried before.
If you’re ready to develop a fresh flow of “clean water” marketing channels and leads for your business, comment below “marketing” and I’ll send you more details about this powerful workshop.
I look forward to hearing from you.
To your success,
Gabe
P.S. For those of you who are early action takers and already replied back to my last email with the word “marketing,” I’ve got your names on the list and will be reaching out with more information soon! Thank you!