Key Takeaways
1. Embrace Your Obsession: It's Your Path to Success
Obsession itself is not a deficit or a character defect; it's a gift!
Redefine obsession positively. Society often views obsession negatively, but it's the key to extraordinary success. Embracing your obsessions allows you to:
- Tap into boundless energy and creativity
- Push beyond perceived limitations
- Achieve greatness in your chosen field
Historical examples prove this point:
- Steve Jobs was obsessed with design and user experience
- Oprah Winfrey was obsessed with connecting with her audience
- Michael Jordan was obsessed with winning and perfecting his craft
By channeling your obsessive nature into productive pursuits, you transform a potential weakness into your greatest strength.
2. Reject Average and Mediocrity
Average is a failing formula and it works for no one, no matter how much they try to make sense of it.
Embrace discomfort and growth. The pursuit of "balance" and comfort often leads to mediocrity. Instead:
- Set audacious goals that push you beyond your comfort zone
- Reject conventional wisdom about work-life balance
- Surround yourself with ambitious, like-minded individuals
Cardone argues that the middle class is shrinking because:
- 62-76% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck
- Over 50% rely on government assistance
- 92% of small businesses make less than $250,000 annually
To break free from average, constantly challenge yourself, take calculated risks, and refuse to settle for "good enough" in any area of your life.
3. Identify and Fuel Your Purpose-Driven Obsessions
Purpose is the holy grail of the obsessed.
Discover your driving force. To harness the power of obsession, you must identify what truly motivates you. Cardone suggests:
- Regularly asking yourself probing questions about your interests, skills, and aspirations
- Writing down your goals daily to reinforce and clarify your purpose
- Allowing your obsessions to evolve as you grow and achieve
Key areas to explore:
- Personal interests and passions
- Money motivations
- Skills and talents
- Market opportunities
- Legacy and impact
- Inspiring figures
By aligning your obsessions with a meaningful purpose, you create sustainable motivation and direction for your efforts.
4. Dominate Your Space and Brand
If you are the most successful person in the room, you are in the wrong room.
Become the undisputed leader. To truly succeed, you must dominate your chosen field:
- Develop unmatched expertise in your area
- Aggressively promote your personal brand
- Continuously expand your influence and reach
Practical steps:
- Identify your unique value proposition
- Create a powerful personal narrative
- Leverage social media and content creation (Cardone posted 78,000 tweets in 48 months)
- Seek opportunities to speak, write, and showcase your expertise
- Never stop learning and improving your skills
By becoming the go-to authority in your space, you create opportunities and attract success.
5. Overpromise, Then Overdeliver
When I overpromise, I am obligated to overdeliver.
Make bold claims, then exceed them. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Cardone advocates for making big promises:
- Grab attention with audacious claims
- Create urgency and excitement
- Force yourself to rise to the challenge
This approach:
- Differentiates you from competitors
- Pushes you to constantly improve
- Builds a reputation for exceptional results
Examples:
- Guaranteeing specific sales increases within short timeframes
- Promising to solve long-standing industry problems
- Committing to seemingly impossible deadlines or targets
By consistently overdelivering on bold promises, you build trust, loyalty, and a powerful reputation.
6. Build and Lead an Obsessed Team
You want people on your team who will do anything for you: jump off buildings, run through walls, and believe they can fly because of you.
Create a culture of excellence. Surrounding yourself with equally driven individuals amplifies your success:
- Recruit relentlessly, always seeking top talent
- Clearly communicate your vision and expectations
- Foster a high-performance, results-driven environment
Key strategies:
- Hold daily team meetings to reinforce goals and culture
- Implement performance-based compensation
- Celebrate successes and learn from failures
- Lead by example, demonstrating the work ethic you expect
Remember: A-players attract other A-players. By building a team of obsessed individuals, you create a powerful force multiplier for your vision.
7. Persist Relentlessly Through Challenges
Those who are truly obsessed are willing to persist when it no longer makes sense.
Never give up on your dreams. Persistence is the hallmark of all great achievers:
- Expect and embrace setbacks as learning opportunities
- Use failures as fuel to drive you forward
- Understand that breakthroughs often come after the most difficult challenges
Historical examples of persistence:
- Walt Disney was rejected 302 times for financing
- J.K. Rowling was rejected by multiple publishers
- Thomas Edison famously failed thousands of times before inventing the light bulb
Cardone's personal story of persistence led to his breakthrough in Salt Lake City, demonstrating that success often lies just beyond the point where most people quit.
8. Stay Dangerous and Take Calculated Risks
Avoiding danger makes sense only if you want to make cents.
Embrace strategic risk-taking. True success requires pushing boundaries and taking chances:
- Move out of your comfort zone regularly
- Be willing to make bold moves in business and life
- Calculate risks, but don't let fear paralyze you
Practical ways to stay dangerous:
- Relocate to new cities or countries for opportunities
- Constantly connect with new, influential people
- Adopt new technologies early
- Make decisions quickly, adjusting course as needed
By cultivating a "dangerous" mindset, you position yourself to seize opportunities others miss and achieve extraordinary results.
9. Master Sales and Customer Relationships
Sales is not a department, a career, or someone's job. Sales is the god of any business.
Prioritize revenue generation. Sales skills are crucial for success in any field:
- Develop a deep understanding of your product/service value
- Master the art of communication and persuasion
- Focus relentlessly on closing deals and generating revenue
Key sales principles:
- Always be closing – present offers and ask for the sale
- Quantify your success with clear metrics
- Hold yourself and your team accountable for results
- Continuously improve your sales skills through training and practice
By becoming a sales master, you ensure the lifeblood of your business (revenue) keeps flowing, enabling growth and success.
10. Control Your Environment and Outcomes
Those who don't like control are the ones with the problem.
Take charge of your destiny. Successful people actively shape their circumstances:
- Assume responsibility for all aspects of your life and business
- Make decisions confidently and swiftly
- Create systems and processes that support your goals
Areas to exert control:
- Your schedule and time management
- Your physical and mental environment
- Your team's performance and culture
- Your financial decisions and investments
By embracing control, you position yourself as the driving force in your life and career, rather than a passive participant subject to external forces.
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FAQ
What's "Be Obsessed or Be Average" about?
- Core Message: The book emphasizes the importance of embracing obsession as a driving force for achieving extraordinary success. Grant Cardone argues that being obsessed is not a flaw but a gift that can lead to greatness.
- Personal Journey: Cardone shares his personal story of overcoming addiction and failure by channeling his obsessive nature into productive endeavors, ultimately leading to his success as a businessman and author.
- Practical Guide: The book provides a roadmap for readers to harness their obsessions, offering tools and strategies to turn them into powerful motivators for achieving their goals.
- Cultural Critique: Cardone critiques societal norms that promote mediocrity and average living, encouraging readers to break free from these constraints and pursue their true potential.
Why should I read "Be Obsessed or Be Average"?
- Inspiration: The book is a motivational tool for anyone feeling stuck or unfulfilled, offering a new perspective on how to achieve success by embracing one's obsessions.
- Practical Advice: It provides actionable steps and exercises to help readers identify their passions and turn them into obsessions that drive success.
- Personal Growth: Cardone's story of transformation from a troubled past to a successful entrepreneur serves as a powerful example of personal growth and resilience.
- Challenge Norms: The book challenges conventional wisdom about work-life balance and mediocrity, pushing readers to strive for more in all areas of life.
What are the key takeaways of "Be Obsessed or Be Average"?
- Embrace Obsession: Obsession is a powerful tool for achieving success, and readers should not shy away from it but rather harness it for their goals.
- Persistence is Key: Success often requires relentless persistence, even in the face of failure and doubt.
- Surround Yourself with Success: Building a team of like-minded, driven individuals is crucial for achieving and sustaining success.
- Challenge Mediocrity: Reject societal norms that promote average living and instead aim for extraordinary achievements.
How does Grant Cardone define obsession in "Be Obsessed or Be Average"?
- Positive Force: Cardone views obsession as a positive force that can drive individuals to achieve their highest potential.
- Focus and Energy: Obsession provides the focus and energy needed to overcome obstacles and achieve ambitious goals.
- Purpose-Driven: It is closely tied to one's purpose, serving as the fuel that propels individuals toward their dreams.
- Misunderstood Gift: While often labeled negatively, obsession is a misunderstood gift that, when harnessed correctly, leads to success.
What is Grant Cardone's personal story in "Be Obsessed or Be Average"?
- Early Struggles: Cardone shares his struggles with addiction and a lack of direction in his early life, which nearly led to his downfall.
- Turning Point: A pivotal moment came when he decided to channel his obsessive nature into productive pursuits, leading to a dramatic turnaround.
- Business Success: By embracing his obsessions, Cardone built a successful career as a businessman, author, and motivational speaker.
- Inspiration for Others: His story serves as an inspiration for readers to overcome their own challenges by harnessing their obsessions.
What practical advice does "Be Obsessed or Be Average" offer?
- Identify Your Obsessions: The book provides exercises to help readers identify what they are truly passionate about and how to turn these passions into obsessions.
- Set Big Goals: Cardone encourages setting ambitious goals that push individuals beyond their comfort zones.
- Daily Practices: He suggests writing down goals daily to keep them at the forefront of one's mind and maintain focus.
- Build a Supportive Team: Surrounding oneself with a team that shares the same level of obsession and drive is crucial for success.
What are the best quotes from "Be Obsessed or Be Average" and what do they mean?
- "Be obsessed or be average." This quote encapsulates the book's central message that obsession is necessary for achieving extraordinary success.
- "Success is my duty." Cardone emphasizes that achieving success is not just a desire but a responsibility.
- "Never take advice from a quitter." This quote advises readers to seek guidance from those who have achieved success, not from those who have settled for less.
- "The obsessed are the industry builders, disrupters, titans, game changers, and living legends others admire and wish to emulate." It highlights the transformative power of obsession in creating leaders and innovators.
How does "Be Obsessed or Be Average" challenge conventional wisdom?
- Rejects Mediocrity: The book challenges the idea that being average is acceptable, urging readers to strive for greatness instead.
- Critiques Work-Life Balance: Cardone argues that the pursuit of balance often leads to mediocrity and that obsession is necessary for achieving significant success.
- Encourages Risk-Taking: It promotes taking risks and stepping outside comfort zones as essential for growth and achievement.
- Questions Traditional Advice: The book questions common advice about settling for less and encourages readers to pursue their full potential.
How can I apply the lessons from "Be Obsessed or Be Average" to my life?
- Identify and Embrace Obsessions: Use the exercises in the book to discover what truly drives you and focus on these obsessions.
- Set Ambitious Goals: Challenge yourself with goals that push you beyond your current limits and require you to grow.
- Persist Through Challenges: Develop a mindset of persistence, using setbacks as learning opportunities rather than reasons to quit.
- Build a Supportive Network: Surround yourself with people who share your drive and can support you in achieving your goals.
What does Grant Cardone say about handling doubt and negativity in "Be Obsessed or Be Average"?
- Starve the Doubt: Cardone advises ignoring doubt and negativity, focusing instead on feeding one's obsessions and goals.
- Use Haters as Fuel: He suggests using criticism and negativity from others as motivation to prove them wrong and achieve success.
- Surround Yourself with Positivity: Building a network of supportive, like-minded individuals can help counteract doubt and negativity.
- Focus on Success: Keeping attention on one's goals and successes helps drown out doubt and maintain momentum.
How does "Be Obsessed or Be Average" address the concept of persistence?
- Essential for Success: Persistence is portrayed as a critical component of success, necessary for overcoming obstacles and achieving goals.
- Developing Persistence: The book offers strategies for developing persistence, such as completing tasks and using past successes as motivation.
- Miracle Moments: Cardone describes "miracle moments" that occur when persistence pays off, often just when one is about to give up.
- Stories of Persistence: The book shares stories of successful individuals who persisted despite setbacks, serving as inspiration for readers.
What role does team-building play in "Be Obsessed or Be Average"?
- Critical for Growth: Building a team of obsessed, driven individuals is essential for scaling success and achieving ambitious goals.
- Recruiting Talent: Cardone emphasizes the importance of constantly recruiting and surrounding oneself with top talent.
- Creating a Culture: Establishing a company culture that aligns with one's obsessions and goals is crucial for maintaining focus and drive.
- Rewarding Performance: The book advises rewarding team members who contribute to the company's success and share the same level of commitment.
Review Summary
Be Obsessed or Be Average receives mixed reviews. Many praise its motivational power and practical advice for achieving success through obsessive focus. Readers appreciate Cardone's energy and straightforward approach. However, critics find the book repetitive, arrogant, and potentially promoting unhealthy work-life balance. Some view Cardone's philosophy as extreme, while others see it as necessary for extraordinary achievement. The book's emphasis on obsession and relentless pursuit of goals resonates with entrepreneurs and sales professionals seeking inspiration to overcome mediocrity.
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