Byron Morrisn Is Todays Expert Entrepreneur On The Join Up Dots Podcast
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Introducing Byron Morrison
Bryon Morrison is our guest today on the Join Up Dot’s business podcast.
Todays guest first appeared on Join Up Dots back in 2017 when he was on a mission to show us all how we can create a better us by being aware of what we are putting into our bodies, and what actions we take on a daily basis.
He was focused on pushing past the fitness guys that time and time again, bring to the world some new diet or fad which for many is very hard to maintain after the initial buzz of tacking something new.
He believed that we should do it a different way.
And instead of forcing these principles in to our life and hope that they fit, we should have looked to tailor our life instead and go about it a very different way.
How The Dots Joined Up For Byron
Now he has built on those principles and works helping CEOs upgrade their mindset and performance so that they can evolve into the leader they need.
He wants them to take their business to the next level. and has added all his principles into his latest books “The Effective CEO” and “CEO In Control”
So was it a natural progression from the health based mission to where he is now, or did it take him by surprise?
And what is the biggest obstacle that his clients have to overcome in achieving the high performance they crave?
Well lets find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up more dots with the one and only Byron Morrison
Show Highlights
During the show we discussed such weight subjects with Byron Such as:
Why so many people are interested in the quick fix mentality In business and life which is never going to get you anywhere.
Byron shares why it is so important to focus in the present and know that every decision can good and bad is a step forward.
We talk about why the worries and stresses in life that almost us bring us down never are as bad as you think they will be.
Byron breaks down the 7 factors that we all have in our lives that we need to be free from if we want to push forward in life
and lastly…….
Why its important to know that no matter how far you are along the journey you will never get to where you ultimately want to be.
How To Connect With Byron
Return To The Top Of Byron Morrison
Full Transcription Of Byron Morrison Interview
Intro [0:00]
Life shouldn’t be hard life should be a fun filled adventure every day. So now start joining up dots, tap into your talents, your skills, your God given gifts and tell your boss, you don’t deserve me. I’m out of here. It’s time for you to smash that alarm clock. And start getting the dream business and wife you will, of course, are dreaming of. Let’s join your host, David Raoul, from the back of his garden in the UK, or wherever he might be today with another JAM PACKED episode of the number one hit podcast. Join Up Dots.
David Ralph [0:40]
Yeah, good morning to Charles. Good morning to all the listeners across the world. Thank you so much for being here. Well, today’s guest has already been here before. Yeah, he was a guest who appeared on Join Up Dots back in 2017. When at that time, he was on a mission to show us all how we can create a better OS by being aware of what we’re putting into our bodies and what actions we take on a daily basis. Now he was focused on pushing past a fitness guys that time and time again, bring to the world some new diet or fad, which for many is very hard to maintain after the initial buzz of tackling something new, he believed that we should do it in a different way. And instead of forcing these principles into our life and hope that they fit, we should have looked to tailor our life instead and go about it in a very different way. Now he’s built on those principles and now works helping CEOs upgrade their mindset and performance so that they can evolve into the leader of a need. He wants them to take their business to the next level. And he’s added all these principles into his latest book, The effective CEO, the CEO in control, and the new one that we’re going to be talking about on the show. So was it a natural progression from the health based mission to where he is now? Or did it take him by surprise, but his interest? And his expertise took him that way? And what is the biggest obstacle that his clients have to overcome in achieving the high performance? Well, let’s find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Byron Morrison. Morning again, Byron.
Byron Morrison [2:11]
Hey, I’m doing fantastic. I’m so excited to be back here and speaking to you again. So thanks for having me on.
David Ralph [2:16]
Does it feels like seven years because I looked at your pictures, you haven’t aged at all. In fact, you’ve got younger. So what’s happened over the last seven years to keep you so vibrant, looking with a thick head of hair.
Byron Morrison [2:30]
I wish my lower back felt that way. But yeah, I’ve been quite like gifted with their hair still there. But yeah, life’s changed a lot in the last seven years since we last spoke. Like you said in the introduction, back then I was very much focused on health and nutrition and helping people take control of their lives. And in that time, businesses very much evolved. I found through working with people in 15 Different countries that a lot of people know what they should be doing. But the biggest barrier in their ways themselves. It’s that voice in the back of their head that’s caused them to doubt and second guess themselves, it’s their fears, their reasons not to do it. So naturally, as the business grew, the focus started to be on helping people get out of their own way. Because going back to my own journey, I when I look back 15 years ago, when I was struggling, I was my own worst enemy. And it just got to a point where I realised this is the key thing, we need to focus on the biggest barrier, and most people wait is their mindset and the way they’re approaching life. So we do that and we fix everything else becomes easier.
David Ralph [3:30]
I think we all to blame for that. You know, I look back on Join Up Dots in the early days, and I was Mr. Competition, I was looking at this person and that person and what they were doing and stuff. And I think that the biggest issue and I’d be interested to see if you think this is the biggest issue is not making an absolute firm decision on what you want. And I think people are leaping from this pink to VAT thing. They try this diet back diet. They try this mindset. It just make a bloody decision and keep on walking towards fear and success is yours.
Byron Morrison [4:09]
I think part of the problem as well as just getting distracted by shiny objects, because for a lot of us, we want instant gratification. We want results right now whether that’s in business, health or another area of our life. And that’s why we get distracted by anything that promises this quick fix mentality. And that’s why a lot of the times we can trip ourselves up where instead of just committing and staying disciplined and accepting that may take a few months to get there. We then
David Ralph [4:34]
boy years years go Well, years or decades. Yeah, free a few months. That’s quick.
Byron Morrison [4:41]
Yeah, so it’s just really about understanding okay, what are you actually doing? What is your vision? And then what do you have to be really stay focused focused on to make it happen, and that for me, it’s the non sexy a real answer as to what it takes to get results in every area of your life. It’s just having a clear plan of what you’re doing and pushing yourself to follow throw with it. But a lot of people don’t like that they won’t whatever is new and shiny and promises to change the world overnight. And I’ll put my hand up and admit that I fell into that trap so many times. It’s just about understanding, okay, this is what’s really happening, and then just being at peace with it.
David Ralph [5:15]
Now, if you jump back 15 years to when you first started, if I sat you down and said Byron primer, it’s going to take you 15 years to be really where you are, as we speak today. Would you go now I’m not having it. I’m not I can’t give 15 years of my life away, or would you have gone? Yeah, that sounds good for me, I’ll keep on doing it for 15 years.
Byron Morrison [5:36]
When I first started the business, my intention was, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to write books help people around the world and make an impact. So if you had said to me, it’s going to take 15 years, and you’ll get to that point for me, they there was no real rush. I was like, I saw this as their trajectory for the rest of my life and career. So I think part of it, I wouldn’t have scattered or put me off. But I think it also goes back to like, what is your actual actual driving force? And why are you trying to do something?
David Ralph [6:06]
What is your driving force when away from the initial the initial is obviously pay bills, and there’s no getting away from it. But once the bills are paid, what drives you to keep doing it?
Byron Morrison [6:21]
So if I go back 15 years ago, one, I was at a point in my life where I felt completely stuck. I do I had so much potential, but I was at a point where I was in a job when I was burnt out, I was miserable. I was overweight and deeply unhappy. And after my dad’s cancer, I went on this journey of transformation, I turned my life around. And at that point, I had this realisation of how much time I’d wasted holding myself back from going after things that I wanted. And how old were you been by him? And
David Ralph [6:48]
how old 15 years ago.
Byron Morrison [6:50]
So that was a I’m 36. Now nearly
David Ralph [6:53]
so you’re still a nipper. You were still a little lad at that time. Really?
Byron Morrison [6:57]
Yeah. But it’s still for me, like just looking back in that whole period, it was just, I’ve wasted so much time, like, even in my teenage years and early 20s, just watching from the sidelines, and just really holding back from living the life they wanted. And I’ve had just this harsh realisation that so many people are going to wake up at 65, they’re going to look back at the life that they could have lived their chances they didn’t take, and they’re going to be thinking what if, and that’s why what terrifies me far more than failure or rejection or not getting a great is regret. And that’s why my big driving force is okay, what I need to do. So when I reached the end of my days, I can know that I lived a life on my term, not looking back, regretting the things that I didn’t do. And that is something that really drives me in all of the choices I make and the direction that I go.
David Ralph [7:44]
When I’m on my deathbed, I can 100% tell you now, and I wouldn’t have gotten to giving you this answer 1015 years ago, but I would just have said, it is what it is. And that’s my mantra for life now that we have these drives, we have these desires we have how our life should be, but it may not have been our life, you know, our life is what we’re living on a daily basis. And the decisions have led us to this point. And I’m very much focused on that now that you can’t have a crappy day, you can’t have a great day, it just what comes your way and sort of move on with it. Now, do you think that drive for change that people have when they see other people, they’re going, Oh, I should I should be driving that pulse? That’s how my life should have been? Do you think that’s actually counterproductive to getting that? Do you think actually, they should be more relaxed by it? Instead of thinking? What if What if
Byron Morrison [8:42]
100% a big part of my message and what I talked about in the new book, and a lot of my content is getting people to actually focus on the present. Because regardless of what you’ve done in the past mistakes that you’ve made, or the choices that you went through with, you can’t change them. So dwelling on them as doing is wasting time and energy you can never get back. So it’s just really about recognising that your life is a basis of all of the choices that you’ve made, like everything you did in the past has brought you to where you are today. And if you’re not happy with that situation, rather than beating yourself up over how you could have done things differently. It’s all about empowering yourself to realise Okay, well, if I’m not happy right now, what do I need to do to change it? It’s about shifting that focus into the very moment and being like, Okay, if that’s what I want to achieve, or the life I want to be living, what do I need to start doing to get there? This is a very big difference between focusing on the past and focusing on the present. But most people I find live their life focusing on what happened and that this is why they get into that self doubt or beating themselves up or feeling bad about where they are. And that’s just not serving us and fuel so much unhappiness.
David Ralph [9:49]
Hey, I don’t get it about I don’t get I do get it. I get it in so many ways, but I also don’t get the fact that people are spending their time thinking about things that ultimately can’t do any good for them, you know, regrets. I’ve had a few. But you know, just leaving behind. Now, the future, that was my problem, I was always focused on the future, I did a Strength Finders test many years ago. And my number one strength was futuristic, I was off the scale on futuristic, so everything was about, obviously brilliant. Let’s do this. Let’s do that. And it took me a long time to realise that actually, the next five minutes in my life is more important than anything. Why? Why fundamentally, right, let’s talk about is why fundamentally, when we all know that, if you want to go to the toilet, you’ve got to stand up and walk to the toilet, you have to make a decision to do it. And then you you get a resolution. But in our life, we don’t do what I do on the real basic stuff, we’re quite happy to make that decision to make it happen. And we get it, but not on the biggest stuff.
Byron Morrison [10:58]
Just because it’s easy to get stuck in your own head, a lot of how our subconscious is wired as we build up these mental stories where we start convincing ourselves about future problems, or we jump to conclusions or we make assumptions. And a lot of the time, we can just build up in our mind where something we convinced ourselves is going to happen doesn’t like we’ve all had it where we have problems that we’re worrying about. And we feel like it’s gonna be this huge ordeal and the end of the world. Yeah, and that either doesn’t actually occur, or it wasn’t that bad. And so much of this is just understanding why you think and feel the way that you do. Because if you are always living in the future, you can’t enjoy the present. And one of my favourite quotes is if you stress about something before it happens, you’re essentially putting yourself through it twice. And this is something that we all do in a way every single day. And it’s because we have that future focus, where we put all this pressure on ourselves about what we want to achieve about where we want to get to about how life should be that actually takes our focus away from the very moment and the actions we need to take in order to actually get there. Because well
David Ralph [12:00]
Reese, I used to worry all the time I was I was a born worrier. But I always say this on a podcast, I was the worst type of worry, I’ve had didn’t look like he was worrying. I looked like I was just relaxed and stress free. But actually in inside I was doing and I would say 100% I can’t even think of 99% 100% of my worries have sorted themselves out. You know, and it is always the case, it always sorts itself out. It’s never as bad as you think. And I know there’s going to be people out there that Oh, no, that’s not true. David, this happened or that happened. Okay, it might have happened. But did you really need to worry about it? To get to that point that is happened? Do you know, do you do just sort of like allow life to take control once you’ve been fired? Should we just all just allow life to take control? Or is that deviating from the dream building at a high performance that we all want
Byron Morrison [12:55]
to be situational dependent. But an interesting part of what you just said is, a lot of the time if you do worry too much about problems, you can put yourself in a self fulfilling prophecy, where your actions, your decisions, your behaviours, or come into alignment. And that worry actually comes to fruition. And this is why a lot of the time people can then be like all but I thought this was gonna happen and it did. And then they can feel really bad about it. And this is why it’s such an empowering thing for you to be like, Okay, I’m concerned about that. But what action can I take today in order to get under control, and just take a moment to mentally step back and put it into perspective, because a lot of the time we build it up in our mind as this huge catastrophe. And you’ve really got to ask yourself, like, even if this does go wrong? Is it really the end of the world? Is that actually that big a deal that I’m building up in my mind? Or am I going to find a way to actually deal with it? Because when you actually start putting into perspective, for the majority of your problems, they’ll feel far more manageable. Yes, there’ll be some that away extreme are very real concerns. But most of the things we worry about on a day to day basis, you’re gonna have forgotten about two weeks from now. And it’s just too hard to remind yourself. And that’s also one of my favourite framings of when I’m worried about something, it’s just ask yourself, Is this still going to be a problem two weeks from now? Or am I got it? Well, I’ve got over it and moved on. And when you realise that actually, it’s just a minor blip on the journey and path becomes a lot easier to actually deal with. My wife said to
David Ralph [14:17]
me in the car the other day, we were driving along and she said, you’re almost annoying. You don’t worry about anything. It’s like you don’t care. And I could understand her point of view. I could totally understand it must be annoying, but I’m just going wow, okay, don’t worry about it. So yourself bear down. We’ve got to worry about it. Because you know, it’s that position, which is so rare nowadays. But ultimately, I think is what everybody needs. I think everybody needs you know, if you think your job is going down the toilet, Bane, there’s other jobs out there or try to find out what you’re doing wrong and work on it. The Dalai Lama always says you can worry about the things now what’s he saying? There’s two types of worries. worries that you You can do something about, so then do something about it. And while he’s you can’t do anything about, so don’t worry about him.
Byron Morrison [15:07]
I love that. It’s also just reminding yourself that regardless of the challenges you’ve been through in your life and things that have happened to you, you’ve survived 100% of your worst days. And the fact that you’re listening to this right now shows that you’re still here fighting. And this is why it’s all about recognising that anyone listening to us is far stronger than they’re giving themselves credit for. And that’s why I don’t want to take away from the challenges and the problems and what’s going on in someone’s life right now. But if they just have that belief within themselves and focus on what they need to do, they will get through it as well. Like we’ve all had times in our life where we felt backed into a corner, we didn’t know how we were going to survive. But the fact that we’re still here today shows that we will find a solution. And it’s just recognising that can be incredibly powerful, empowering. It’s just about being like, you know what, this isn’t as a huge problem and a challenge, but I will figure it out. And it’s it’s taking that pressure off yourself.
David Ralph [16:00]
Let’s listen to Rocky, and we’ll be back with Byron,
Speaker 4 [16:02]
you know, buddy, you gotta hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.
David Ralph [16:18]
Now, I want to jump back to what you said. But I won’t because I smiled because I thought Yeah, that’s absolutely right. But it kind of almost passed in the conversation. You said that anyone listening to this podcast has lived through 100% of your worst days ever. Now that is profound, isn’t it? When you think that no matter what crap has come your way, what terrible situations you found yourself in, you believe through 100% of them, not 99% 100% of them. That should give you a competence moving forward Genet?
Byron Morrison [16:53]
Yeah, it’s just having that resilience of just knowing that, regardless of the challenge in front of you, you’re gonna find a way through it. But if you keep living in a mindset, where you’re either focusing on the past, and all of the things you can’t change, that’s going to be taking your energy away from finding a solution. Just like if you keep living in the future and focusing on problems that haven’t happened yet. That’s gonna do exactly the same thing. And that’s why for me, such a big part of the focus of what I do is just getting people to be more intentional being in the present. It’s always focusing on okay, what can I control? And what do I need to do about this in order to move forward, and that rings true, whether it’s a problem in your life, a goal that you want to move forward, a new opportunity you want to work on? Whatever it is, it’s always focusing on? Okay, what do I need to do about it, because you’re never going to be in complete control of the world around you. But the actions and decisions you take us one thing that you can always control, and it’s just focus on what you can actually do then to move forward with
David Ralph [17:47]
it. Now, one of the things that you say, and we’re going to be referencing your new book now and the title, I’m interested in the title, because I listened to a lot of or watch a lot of Bear Grylls and Bear Grylls always says, Never give up. And Gu that’s his big mantra, you know, no matter what situation you find yourself in, never give up and keep going. And Rick Astley said almost the same thing. So you can’t dispute that. You say maybe you should give up seven ways to get out of your own way and take control of your life. So let’s talk about those words. And maybe you should give up. What do you mean by that?
Byron Morrison [18:25]
So when I first had the idea for the book, I looked at the self help and personal development industry. And it all seems to be pushing the same message of never quit, just keep hustling, like, don’t give up. And all of these pushing the same thing. And I see so many people who are actually stuck, because they’re trying the same thing over and over again, hoping for different results. They’re pushing themselves to pursue things that they don’t even want, because they’ve convinced themselves that if they quit, they’re a failure. So they just stuck in this mindset that they’ve convinced themselves is actually benefiting their life, when actually, it’s the very thing that’s holding them back. And that was why as I was going through this process, I discovered that there’s actually seven different areas of our lives that every single one of us is holding on to that’s weighing us down and stopping us from reaching our potential. So it’s all about empowering readers to look at how they can actually give up holding on to these things and set themselves free. And the reason why I went with the title, maybe you should give up is it sounds really negative, like you look at it from the outside, and it’s just like a big orange cover with bold letters, and it draws your attention, because it sounds like it’s gonna be this huge negative thing. And actually, it’s a book about positivity. It’s about a book about empowering people to actually move forward with their lives and get out their own way so they can live the life they want.
David Ralph [19:39]
Now let’s let’s go through them. Obviously, we want people to read the book to get all of it but let’s what was the biggest one out of all the seven? Do you go with the biggest one first, or do you slip it in the middle? It What’s your favourite one?
Byron Morrison [19:54]
So the biggest one is probably section number two. The first section is all about giving up on React Due to the world around you, because so many of us life is happening to us. And we’re controlled by our emotions. And it’s stopping us from showing up as the best version of ourselves. So that’s the first thing that we have to get under control. But once you actually feeling more in control of what you’re doing, section number two is all focused on fear. Because I found that the biggest barrier in the way of most people success, is that voice in the back of their head, it’s that fear of what if they try and they fail? What if people judge them? What if they get rejected all of these mental stories build up in your head, and it gets you to a point that stops you from taking action. And this is why it’s very much the big roadblock that we have to overcome. Because when someone actually sees that the life that they want to be living is on the other side of that fear. And they’re given the right tools and strategies to break through it. That’s how they can build their confidence and actually start moving forward. So the book in itself was designed in seven steps that you need to tackle in order, because they all build on each other piece by piece to give someone that new level of thinking, to actually become who they want to be.
David Ralph [20:58]
Now, how do you come up with the seven? Do you just go? Yeah, that’s an idea. That’s an idea, or is it is it really proven psychological factors?
Byron Morrison [21:11]
At this point, now, I’ve worked with people in 15 different countries, ranging from CEOs to entrepreneurs, business leaders, corporate professionals. So I’ve had a huge amount of experience working with people from such a variety of backgrounds, to see what’s holding them back from living the life that they want. So going through all of that, and nearly a decade’s worth of coaching experience, and then my own journey of transformation, I’ve really been able to break down and look at, okay, what are the big barriers that are getting in everyone’s way, while they’ve been that stumbling block that sabotaging themselves? And then I was really able to break it down and be like, Okay, these are the seven different areas. I then took that I tested it with clients, I looked at what do we need to overcome? How do we need to go through the process? How do we put it all together? I was this book was very much a years in the making project. So you don’t think you’ve written this five years ago? No, definitely not. This was something that everything I’ve done up until this point was building towards this book, like, five years ago, I didn’t have the experience of working with the people that I have i Even though I was really good I did from a coaching standpoint, I didn’t have as much exposure to so many different ranges of people. And also, in a time I’ve spent so much time developing myself, like whether it’s studying psychology, high performance mindset, and everything else in between. So yeah, this book is very much the next big stepping stone in my own journey of passing on my knowledge to the world. But I wouldn’t have been able to do this five years ago. No,
David Ralph [22:38]
I think if I had a autobiography, I’d probably say, I wasn’t ready, I think that’d be the title. Because I’m very aware for having these conversations, how much time we strive to achieve something that either doesn’t work, or it doesn’t end up where we want to be. And then when we move past it, and we keep on going, we look at it and go, yeah, it was never gonna work. I wasn’t ready. If I didn’t have the skills, I didn’t have the knowledge, I needed those failures to build up so that I could gain more clarity. Now you sound like you’ve gone through that journey, not just on a sort of health wise, but with your father, and everything else. Oh, is it true with yourself that you can now clearly see, I wasn’t ready as more than one point in your life.
Byron Morrison [23:28]
I think there’s a big difference between not being ready and then allowing yourself to get into a situation to figure it out. Because this goes back to that element of fear, where a lot of people convince themselves that they’re not yet ready to take the next step, whether it’s in their business, their career, going off to a new project, trying something new, whatever it is, they build it up in their mind, convinced themselves that it’s not the right time, they don’t have the skills yet. Whereas in so many situations, the way that you actually get ready is by diving in and allowing yourself to grow and develop along the way. So I think there’s a very big difference between five years ago, this book, I wasn’t ready, because I didn’t yet have the experience or the skill set. So everything I’ve done in that time set me up for being ready for this. But that is not a case. That was a fear talking me out of it. And that’s why I think it’s so important. Anyone listening to this right now that if they do have something they want to go after, you really need to have an honest conversation with yourself. Like, is it a case of, you’re genuinely not ready, like you have to get more skills are more experienced, or whatever it is a while you just talk yourself out of it because you’re afraid. Because if you’re waiting for the time that you feel perfectly ready, it’s probably going to be too late. Because then you’re not going to be comfortable and it’s going to move on. So you really need to balance that and have that awareness as to why you’re actually talking yourself out of it and what’s going on there.
David Ralph [24:49]
Because I think it’s key to dive in. But I also think it’s key to dive into the right pool. You know, instead of just swimming around swimming around and then thinking oh, this is the wrong pool and as To cite literally every business that I speak to pivots in some regard, and some of the more successful ones are small pivots, just kind of slight deviations degree here or there. Others just seems to be every time I speak to them, they’re doing something totally different. That is, that’s the real issue, isn’t it? That’s the issue, knowing what Paul to jump into. But Mary’s your expertise, your knowledge, and also that kind of drive to keep going when you’re into the unknown because building a business is a lot of unknown until you start hiring someone
Byron Morrison [25:38]
100%. And that’s why one thing if you look at the kind of rail range of my career, even though they’re my focus and pivot that I’m really into now, it’s still along the same lines as I was, when I first started. Like, when I began this journey, and I wanted to my focus was more on the nutrition and health side of it, it was helping people take the actions they needed to take to create the life that they want. And it was only as I went through that, that from working with so many different people that I saw that the biggest reason why they weren’t doing it was their mindset, it was their fears, their self belief, like all of the external factors that were holding them back. And it was just this natural progression for me that I realised, okay, if I want to fulfil that original mission, this is the area I need to be focusing on, because that’s actually the barrier in the way. And it’s just going back to that whole I’m not ready thing, like at that point in my career when I was still a lot younger, and I hadn’t had that much exposure. It was only when I went and worked with so many different people that I could then start figuring out the pieces that were holding someone back. So I 100% get what you mean, there’s so many people who every single week that one week, they’re selling a product and they’re running a marketing agency, then they’re trying to do something and crypto and it’s just like all over the place.
David Ralph [26:49]
And they’re all experts, they all say Oh, I’m an expert. And you know, I’ve been doing this for 20 years. And I think No You bloody Evan, because I remember speaking, speaking to eight years ago, and you weren’t doing that, then you know. So I get rid of a lot of people that asked to come on the show. They do so many podcasts, they don’t remember me, but I remember them. And I think to myself, it’s a fair enough status to say I have worked towards this, but not to jump into something new, and then try to build a fabricated backstory to build build the expertise.
Byron Morrison [27:25]
I couldn’t agree more. And it’s just I think a lot of people at the same time, if you’re doing something and it’s not working, that is a case of maybe you should give up on it and try something new, like a lot of people get stuck because they keep trying forcing the same thing over and over again. So it’s it’s finding that balance of someone giving them permission. So it was permission to change their mind and going in a new direction, which can be incredibly empowering. But then it’s also you get the charlatans on the other side who are looking for a quick win. They’re like, Oh, this is the flavour of the month. This is how I can make money and they keep bouncing around. They’re never consistent with anything. And their entire purpose is how can I be just make money and capitalise on this? I think it’s great that you’re watching out for that, because I see it’s one of my biggest frustrations on the self help and personal development industry, where people are always just trying to sell people the same thing over and over again, that doesn’t work out. It’s just my intention from day one has always been like how can we actually help people make a lasting change in their life? And for me, that’s one of my big drivers and fulfilment. It’s like how can you actually have a positive impact in the world where you can go to bed at night and being like, you know what the work I did today actually made a difference. The trouble
David Ralph [28:35]
is, though, with what you do, and what I do, and what so many other people do is you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink. You know, I’m looking at my bookshelf. Now I got loads and loads of books, from people who want to come on the show, and they send me the books and stuff. And you think how many people actually read that even though he’s great content? And actually do something with it? Does that sort of get you down? Because obviously, a 50% success rate right with your clients will be pretty damn good.
Byron Morrison [29:07]
It depends on the individual, because it’s I’m quite lucky. Well, from a client basis, I only work with people who are willing to put in the work and show up. And that’s why we have such a ridiculously high success rate.
David Ralph [29:18]
But how do you know that? How do you let’s jump into that because out you know that they’re willing right at the very beginning, they come through to you. They sound like they’re really good. But how do you know that they’re willing to keep going and putting in the work?
Byron Morrison [29:32]
Well, for the client bases I work with at the moment that predominantly CEOs and business executives, these are people who have put in the work throughout their life to get to where they are. They’re not someone who is just talking about wanting to achieve something. I’ve never actually done anything with it. Like these are people who are very much at that level, and they want to actually get through to the next one. So I’ve got a very good gauge of speaking to hundreds of people over the last few years about when someone’s asked To be in this and wanting to go all in on themselves and when someone’s just like talking about it. So I think it is the level of people that I work with from a coaching base at the moment where they’re already committed to actually achieving these incredible things. So it does make it easier on that realm. Whereas if I go back seven years ago, this was one of my big frustrations with why I moved away from what I was doing. Because a lot of people, when I was doing a live diet challenges and trying to help people with their weight, like people would just look for a quick fix, like, I just want to do this for a week to feel a bit better. And it was never for people who were serious about it. And that was one of the things for me that I wanted to build a business working with people who were committed to changing their lives. So that’s why for me from a client basis, I can say like, I know that the people coming in are ready to do it, because it’s a big commitment and a big investment. And they when they do that they show up and they actually follow through is interesting, isn’t it, you know, your client base,
David Ralph [30:57]
you know that your client base matches up with your expertise. But at the beginning, I bet that you work twice as hard, got a fraction of the rewards, just because you weren’t providing the right thing to the right people, you know, I’ve done the same thing. I used to spend a lot of time helping people start businesses, but it’s all white people will say all the time, oh, I want to start a business, I want to have this, I want to have that. You’ve got to aim for the people that are already in business and are struggling or want to take it to the seven figures, that’s when your work level goes down. Because they turn up, they’re committed, they’re focused, and you’re not having to push the boulder up a hill yourself.
Byron Morrison [31:37]
Yeah, it also comes down to what sort of life you want to live. Because back then, of course, something that will keep me awake at night, because I was taking the pressure of okay, I’ve got to get these people to get all these results. And like you said, you can take a horse to water but you can’t make them drink. And I think for the first two years of my career, just trying to push the dieting and healthy eating. And I remember the breaking point for me was I put everything into launching this new offer where I was committed, I wanted to change the way that people thought about food and teaching people how to eat healthy and put together balanced meals. And it was a really good marketing lesson for anyone listening to this as well, I spent months putting all of this together, launched it and no one wanted it. People wanted a quick fix diet. Like everything else they had been doing. I was like, You know what, I don’t want to be serving this market anymore. It’s like, I’m banging my head against the wall. And that was why I moved it was when I have people that I’m working with now I’m very fortunate. These are some of the most committed people I’ve ever worked with. Like you give them a task and they go and execute it. But they’re also running anything from a seven figure business to I’ve got guys running billion dollar unicorns in Silicon Valley. So it is very much up higher level where these people know that actually them following through and making changes is going to massively impact not just their life, but their business’s growth, their team members and everyone around them, so that all in on making it happen, which definitely from a coaching standpoint, makes my life easier. Because we can really push someone to greatness rather than just trying to get them over that first kind of hurdle.
David Ralph [33:10]
Yeah, it’s a yin yang, you’ve got to meet your client halfway. You You need to believe in yourself, have the experience, know the problems that you’re solving, and have absolute confidence in yourself that you can make it happen. And then they start coming your way. And all the issues that everyone has right at the very beginning, ultimately are that they don’t really believe in themselves. So they kind of do a wishy washy, they don’t stand up and go, I am bloody brilliant at this. I’m the best one around. Don’t go anywhere else. It they kind of do a fudgy kind of thing, don’t I?
Byron Morrison [33:47]
Yeah. And that’s kind of going back to what we were talking about before as to why I’ve written this new book. Because while my one to one coaching business is going to remain the same. I when I was writing this, I was really thinking back to Okay, who was I 25. When I was at that point where I was stuck, I wasn’t following through. I knew what I needed to do to get the life I wanted. But I just wasn’t staying consistent. Like what was actually going on there. I was like, How can I write something that would help that person? Because when I was actually going through it, like my tie thing was the whole time had been like what did I need to say to that version of me back then we I will push him to actually finally get this under control. And that’s why for me like we’re taking the business in two different angles. Like I said, my coaching business is going to remain the same. But the impact that I see in the world, I want to start speaking on more stages. I want to be rich people and a higher on a mass scale. And it’s really helping the people who were just like I was who have these big goals and vision but they’re not following through. Like how do you give them that wake up call? How do you get them out their own head and get them to finally actually start moving forward? That’s where I see as a natural progression for what I’m doing when it comes to an impact and helping people scale.
David Ralph [34:55]
Do you know why I think they’re not following through because they haven’t given up on seven ways to get out of your, your head and your own way. So we kind of touched on the two. Okay, the first two. The first one just remind me, the second one was fear, what was the first one.
Byron Morrison [35:13]
So the first one is reacting to the world around you. The second one is fear. And then we’ve actually touched on a few of the other ones so far today, as well, like some of the other next big ones are worrying about problems that haven’t happened yet. Okay, the other ones, off prioritising short term thinking at the expense of what you want, then it moves on to comparing yourself to others, then it’s being too hard on yourself. And then all of that the six initial steps are building up to the final section, which is putting off your happiness. So it’s basically getting you to a point where you can feel empowered, you’re getting out of your own head, you’re focusing on what you need to do, and then helping you go full circle. And finally, start creating the life that you want. There’s regardless as to who you are, and the life and what you want to achieve. At the end of the day, if you’re not happy, and you’re not enjoying life, then what’s the point? So it’s about helping people actually have that internal shift where they can have the light happiness and fulfilment in whatever it is they want to do.
David Ralph [36:11]
And that’s the key thing, isn’t it, you can be happy, as long as you know what happiness means to you, and how you’re going to get that happiness. You know, I think for a long time, I used to say I was happy. But actually, it was a grind, I was just going through the motions, it was just one day after another. It’s not until you really go. This is what happiness means to me, this is what I want to aim for. And once again, it’s all down to that, that one direction, knowing what pole to jump into. And until you know yourself well enough, you’re struggling, aren’t you, you know, it’s whenever you meet somebody and you think, Oh, they’ve got their shit together. It’s always because I know who they are, what they are, and what they can bring to the world.
Byron Morrison [36:55]
And this, again, goes back to that getting stuck in your own head, because a lot of people project stuff on to others. So they convinced themselves that everyone else has got it all together, that people have got it all figured out. And they feel bad that they’re not further along at this point in their life. And that’s why for me such a central theme in happiness is figuring out, okay, what do you actually want blocking up the world, blocking out everything else getting a tunnel vision on what you’re doing, and then pushing yourself Self to show up as the best version of yourself every single day. And the reason why I love that is because it grows with you, regardless of the stage that you’re at, you always want to become better and keep moving forward. So as you grow and evolve, as long as you can go to bed at night knowing that you know what I showed up today, I did the work I wanted to do I move forward the things I wanted to get done. I can feel content and how I spent my time. That is a big part of fulfilment.
David Ralph [37:47]
Now, are you fulfilled? Really? I know, we can say on the podcast, and we can say oh, yeah, everything’s absolutely perfect. But are you sort of 100% fulfilled? Or are you still got a nagging, but you may not quite be on your ultimate legacy building path.
Byron Morrison [38:05]
So me a big part of that was actually of reframing it. Sorry. Yeah. Because from a big side of it, what I’ve found is why a lot of people don’t feel fulfilment is because they live too much in the future. And one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is, you’re never gonna get to where you want to be. Because whatever goals or dreams or aspirations you have, right now, as soon as you get close, that goal line is gonna move. And this is why for so many people, they always feel frustrated at the fact that they’re not further along. And they overlook the fact that a year ago, they desperately wanted to be where they are right now. And this is why one of the big things that I’ve had to work on on a personal level is getting myself to slow down to be like, yes, there’s still things I want to achieve. There’s things I want to there’s always gonna be another level to reach though. And it’s just about having the intention to slow down and focus on what’s actually going on. Because as cheesy as it sounds, Happiness doesn’t come from the end result some way off in the future. And instead, it comes from the journey, and the journey takes place in the present. And that’s why I’m such a big believer that you need to actually force yourself to balance your big goals and aspirations with focusing on the day to day and just being in more moments and enjoying life. So from a fulfilment standpoint, truth be told, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I’m doing the work that I want to do with the people I want to be doing with I’m so excited about the book coming out. But also I know that there’s another level, I know that there’s a lot that I’ve still want to do and achieve. But I’m forcing myself to slow down and take it one step at a time.
David Ralph [39:31]
And did the the pandemic really sort of escalate to that desire.
Byron Morrison [39:37]
The pandemic was an interesting one for me, because at the time, I was getting ready to launch the speaking side of my business. It was something that was really into drawing. I was doing more workshops and events. I was like that was the next thing I wanted to focus on. And then overnight that got disrupted. So for me that was when I then just double down on serving clients. I then started working on the new books and anyways, it was a blessing in disguise, because it set me up for what’s next. But again, it was just going back to focusing on what I can control. Like, there was no point getting frustrated or being down about the fact that I couldn’t go do that new venture. It was then about being like, okay, what can I do? How can I maximise that time and allowing myself to go and get it done.
David Ralph [40:18]
Because I’ve become more successful by when since I’ve just got rid of sort of goals, really, and ambitions, you know, just being whatever happens in the day I turn up, I do the work. And if I don’t get all the work done, I wanted, okay. I didn’t, you know, where I used to just work longer and longer, or I used to get up earlier the next morning. Now, I just literally just float through each day thinking it was enough.
Byron Morrison [40:46]
This is, that’s like a perfect world mentality to have. But the unfortunate thing I see this all the time in the SEO clients I work with is that feeling of I need to be doing more. And it’s one of the biggest pitfalls I see in the clients who come to me is their tendency to overload themselves, where they overstock their calendar, things they want to get done. And because of that, no matter what they accomplished, they always beat themselves up feeling like they should have done more. And that’s why one of my favourite personal framing, so it is looking ahead to 5pm. And just asking yourself, like what needs to happen today for today? To feel like it was a success, like, what are the things I need to move forward? What do I want to accomplish? And what would I be at peace with to be able to know what I actually got that done, and that’s really stripping it back, because then you can be a little bit more realistic. Because if you’re constantly having this to do list with 20, things that will get getting done, and then you knock off 12 of them, you’re just gonna focus on the eight that you haven’t finished, you’re gonna feel frustrated. So it’s being a little bit more realistic with the available time that you have and what you actually want to progress. Like I found for me, that’s taken a lot of that pressure. Because you’re never going to go on top of everything, there’s always going to be more things that need to be done as a slowing down and focusing on what can you actually do at what’s going to have that big impact.
David Ralph [42:00]
Yeah. And then if you want to building a business and being an entrepreneur, I think kind of culpa, ours are good idea. You know, don’t just think, oh, because I don’t have to go to work, I can just sit there all night with a laptop and just be constantly on the go. I think it’s really important now, and I was the classic, you know, I listened back to some of the early Join Up Dots, it was all about our hustle harder than anybody else and grind it out. It was all about hustle muscle, and God knows what. And now I think you know, it’s, you don’t get what you want, unless you look after yourself, first and foremost. And that’s what you’ve done. You’ve built something that has built on ultimately, looking after yourself and making the right decision. First and foremost.
Byron Morrison [42:43]
The thing I’d love to add into that is it all comes down to boundaries. Because when you’re running a business, and you have no one checking on you and what you’re doing, it’s so easy to convince yourself that you just need to keep doing more. But the reality is, we all only have so much time, energy and bandwidth. And there’s after a while it’s just going to have diminishing returns. And I’m sure you’ve been there yourself where you’re trying to push through something, and it would normally take 20 minutes, but it takes two hours. Because you’ve just done focused, you’re tired. Yeah, it’s just having that strictness with yourself to be able to know what I’ve done enough, I need to take a step back and just allow myself to relax and recover. Because part of the reason why entrepreneurs and business leaders are so at risk of burnout is because they have no boundaries in place to actually hold themselves to things they need to do. And part of their problem is they live too much in the macro. So there’s looking at, okay, what do I need to do move forward today? And they’re not looking at the micro picture of okay, from a longevity standpoint? Where am I trying to get to? How do I need to then protect my energy and manage it so I can show up as my best every single day, because everyone can push hard for a brief period of time. But it’s when you compound that and do it repeatedly. That’s when it starts actually having detrimental effects. And that’s a lot. I’m a huge advocate for having that middle ground. It’s knowing okay, I’ve done the things I’ve moved me forward. I’ve worked hard, and I’ve put in the time, but then also allow myself to step back and enjoy life and make sure that I’m not just gonna be exhausted and fatigued all the time.
David Ralph [44:09]
Yeah, and I think every bit of work that I’ve really pushed through and it’s crap, I look back on it, and it wasn’t worth doing it, you know? But the stuff that I’m just sort of just breezing in into the flow and just throwing it out there. You look at it, you go ah, that’s that’s the good stuff. So it’s a real wake up call, isn’t it? That effort doesn’t ultimately determine rewards.
Byron Morrison [44:32]
Goes back to that whole thing of people convince themselves that hard work is the secret to success. When the reality is there are so many hard working people out there who are broke living paycheck to paycheck, and hard in those situations, working harder is not going to solve the problem. Putting in more hours is not going to lead to better results. It’s more about having the right mindset to know Okay, these are the things I’ve truly going to make an impact. This is why I need to do to create the success they want. And they gave that tunnel vision Where you protect yourself and your energy and your flow, so that you can make sure that you can execute it. If you look at the most successful people of all time, they have a very honed in focus, they only do a few things, and then they delegate their outsource or they say no to everything else. Whereas going back to what we spoke about before, so many people just bounce around, they’re scattered. They’re all over the place. They’re trying to do everything. And that’s actually the very reason why they’re stuck.
David Ralph [45:25]
Yeah, I’ve known some brilliant people that have done bugger all. But what they did do was amazing. You know, I’ve been in board meetings where somebody didn’t say a word in two hours. But when he did you think, oh, yeah, that was it. That was it, where I used to fill up every gap. If there was any silence, my mouth would open up. But yeah, know what you’re good at, and hold back until it’s the right time. And then the work just naturally occurs. Really, really interesting stuff. Well, this is a piece of the show, oh, did we finish the seven I don’t think we did. Let’s just finish up the seven. So list them quickly the seven things that you should give up.
Byron Morrison [46:04]
So I did go through all of them. But just to recap, so they were reacting to the world around you being controlled by fear, worrying about problems that haven’t happened yet. Making short term decisions at the expense of what you truly want, comparing yourself to others being too hard on yourself, and then putting off your happiness. So those are the things I found that every single one of us in one way or another are getting in our own way over. And it’s all about helping people really stop sabotaging themselves so they can get out of their own head and take control of their life.
David Ralph [46:34]
Yeah, great stuff. Great stuff. Well, this is the part of the show that you’ve done before. And we called a sermon on the mic when you get to go back and speak to the young Byron, but this time, you only go back seven years. So the last time he was on the show, and if you could speak to him, What advice would you give him to get him to where you are today? Well, we’re going to find out because I’m going to play the theme. And when it fades, it’s your time to talk. This is the Sermon on the mic
Unknown Speaker [47:04]
with the best bit of the show.
Byron Morrison [47:22]
So try not to laugh about music, that’s incredible. But no, like, the advice I would really give to myself seven years ago is just allowed myself to slow down. Like at that point I was in such a rush to obviously I just left a job, I wanted to get the business off the ground, I was just putting so much pressure on myself to succeed, just to make this huge impact. And I think the big turning point for myself was when I really took stock when I took a step back and gradually realised, you know what, what’s not working here? What are you focusing on? What do you truly want and then just allowing myself to grow and develop? Because it was only when I went through my own journey of growing that initial company, where I started learning the biggest lessons about what would actually take to fulfil my vision and further my impact. I see so many people that I work with who are in such a rush to get to where they want to be that they overlook so much opportunities for growth that could come in forcing themselves to slow down and really reflect on it. So it’s a big thing that even now today that I’m very intentional with it’s given myself time regularly just step away, recalibrate, slow down and process problems before just diving in and trying to solve them.
David Ralph [48:31]
Yeah, yeah. It’s something that we all struggle with, certainly as we move forward, so Byman, what’s the number one best way that our audience can connect with you, sir.
Byron Morrison [48:42]
So easiest way to find out more about what I do is to go to Byron morrison.com. I’m also active on most social media platforms. LinkedIn is the one I’m primarily active on but I’m also on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok. Just search for author, Byron Morrison, and you’ll be able to find me,
David Ralph [48:58]
we’ll have all the links on the show notes. barman, thank you so much for spending time with us today. Joining up those dots. And please come back again, when you’ve got even more dots to join up. Because I do believe that by joining up the dots and connecting our past is the best way to build our futures. Byron, thank you so much.
Byron Morrison [49:15]
Thanks for having me on.
David Ralph [49:18]
So Byron came on the show seven years ago and he’s kind of pivoted, but in the same area and that is building up a foundation that is understanding what was working, what wasn’t working, and developing more areas into that that theme. If you want success in life, it’s not about leaping here and leaping there. All you do is get tired out and you’re just leaping everywhere to make a decision. Know what pool you want to jump into and then become the best you possibly can in bat. And it’s as simple as that really isn’t. It’s really not hard. You decide what you want, what results you want to get. And then you become better than anybody else in the world turns its attention to you And when global domination Yeah. Anyway, you look after yourselves. Thank you so much for the emails that are coming through had a lovely one this morning, which I’m going to build a show around. And I appreciate everybody that drops a line, and all the people that are telling me that they’ve started new businesses and entrepreneurship through the show. And until next time, I’ll see you again. Cheers. See ya. Bye bye.
Outro [50:22]
That’s the end of Join Up Dots. You’ve heard the conversation. Now it’s time for you to start taking massive action. Create your future create your life. Busy only you live God. We’ll be back again real soon. Join Up Dots join the gods. Gods, the gods. John. Join Up Dots.
