Expert-Secrets full book

for herself and others, but when she became an expert and started teaching others
how to do it, she made millions.
Robert G. Allen, the great real estate investor and coach, once said that he
made millions DOING real estate, but he made hundreds of millions
TEACHING it.
That’s how it typically starts. We get excited about a topic and we start
geeking out on it. We learn, we read books, we study examples, we listen to
podcasts, and we consume a lot of information. Then we start using it for
ourselves. At some point, we realize the only way to keep growing isn’t to learn
more, but instead to shift our focus from personal growth to contribution. It’s
only by shifting our focus to helping others that we continue to grow. We coach
others, we create information products, and we start contributing to other
people’s growth. When you do that, you learn more about yourself and the
process as you do it.
Contribution is the key to continued growth.
The first time I truly understood that, I was in high school. I was a state
champion and an all-American wrestler. I read and watched everything I could
about wrestling. My dad and I would study videos and practice moves every day.
Then the summer before my senior year, one of my coaches asked me if I’d
help coach at the wrestling camp. I’d never coached wrestling before, but
thought it would be fun. When I started, I was coaching the younger wrestlers on
moves I was intuitively good at, but that others couldn’t figure out. At first it was
really difficult to break down and explain why the move worked and how they
were supposed to do it. But as I taught the kids, I started to notice why the move
wasn’t working for them. And I’d say, “It’s not working because your arm is
bent the wrong way.” Or “You’re at the wrong angle.” By teaching, I had to
dissect what I was doing and learn WHY it worked.
As I became aware of those details, I was able to better teach them to the
kids. And the awareness I gained from coaching also made me a much better
athlete. Contributing to other people’s success helped me grow more than
focusing on my own success.
The process with most expert businesses is the same. First, we become
passionate about a particular topic. We study, we learn, we implement, but
eventually we can’t grow anymore from study alone. We then shift our focus to
helping others with what we have learned, and that contribution helps them,
which in turn also helps us continue to grow.
EXPERT BUSINESS #2: LEVERAGING INFORMATION PRODUCTS