What Does Your Mindset Look Like?

by Rick White, President 180BIZ                                                                 (Estimated Read Time 4 minutes)

Please listen to what I have to say today. It will challenge you. Why do we have a problem with our mindset? Let me explain.

CURSE OF KNOWLEDGE

There's this thing called the Curse of Knowledge that kind of kicks us in our butt in a few different ways.

1. The Curse of Knowledge is when you have a certain level of understanding about a particular subject matter, you unconsciously expect everyone else to as well. What do I mean by that? When you learned that the exhaust gas recirculation valve is an EGR valve, you just start saying EGR valve all the time. You unconsciously expect everyone to understand what that is.

2. Knowledge also diminishes the value that you think you bring to the table. For example, you spent 20,000 hours honing your craft. You are to the point where what you do to fix a car looks like magic to most people. But you think it's no big deal. How many times does someone say thank you for something that you did, and you think it's not a big deal? You say, “No problem. It was easy.” Remember, EASY is a perspective. And that perspective is yours.

The CURSE OF KNOWLEDGE kills value.

Your mindset must be very clear. You must value the time it took for you to get from where you started to where you are now. That time has tremendous value. The most precious commodity that we have in our lives is time. Money is the easiest thing to replace in the world. You just need to work more, do something new, or add more value. Whatever the case is, money can be replaced.

BUT... You can't replace time.

Once time has passed, it's gone forever. So, you have a choice. You can invest that time and use it productively or you can waste that time. It's up to you. It's your time.  The greatest equalizer for all of us is time. Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates have the same 24 hours that you and I do every single day.  You must value your time. You must value the time that it took you to get to where you are in your expertise level.

Remember to value the skillset that you have. It looks like magic to others. People have called me “The Car Whisperer.” They say, “I don't know how you do it. It's like you lay hands on the car and you heal it.” And while it isn't quite that,  I must appreciate the amount of time it took and the skillset that I've developed over that time. I need to recognize how special what it is that I do.

3. Value what you give. We want everybody to value what we do and get indignant when they don’t. Hear this. Stop what you're doing just for one second and listen to me, look at me.

No one will value what you do until you do.

No one will value what you bring to the table until you value that skill until you value the time that you've invested. Do you know how I can tell when value yourself, your skill, and your time? When you stop apologizing for your pricing. When you stop apologizing for what you're charging. That’s when you value what you bring to the table and don't look for shortcuts in a bill.  It's when you estimate everything, price it out, feel good about it, and present it.  It’s when you stop discounting the bill because you feel bad.  When you value what you do, others will value it with you. Never apologize for your estimates, and never apologize for your bills. You can be proud to say,

"My price is fair, my price is firm."

And you do it with confidence and a smile. You know what it took to get you there. That's when you finally have the right mindset.

I hope this message has resonated. Please share it if it did. I am very passionate about this. I watch shop owners with their tails between their legs who are afraid. And that's why they’re struggling to grow their business. That's why they’re struggling to get the money to run their shop.

Stop being afraid.

God bless. Have fun. Go make some money.

Take care. Thank you so much.

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