“Life is a beautiful dream in which you have to be awake to fully experience.”
Sean Stephenson #Sean365
Sean is on point with this quote…as he is with everything he writes or says…and if you don’t know who Sean is, check out the P.S.
But if you’ve been part of my family for at least a year, you know all about Sean already…especially on Valentine’s Day. ❤️
This quote, along with a question I received from a Titans Xcelerator member this week, inspired this post.
The member asked:
What is the difference between a “Titan Hot Seat” and a “Titan Spotlight?”
(They are both among the benefits of membership and cornerstones of living life as a beautiful dream…very awake) 😊
For clarification, I’ll define both for you…you may have an idea already.
A “Titan Hot Seat” is an “ask” of the group.
That is, you come to the group with a problem, challenge or opportunity to receive actionable feedback from 50+ marketing geniuses (from their collective experiences) …on a live Zoom call…while “shutting up and listening” (because you have the rest of your life to reject any idea that is not applicable or appropriate).
They are always pure magic…from the hearts and minds of true Titans…in their spirit of contributing 100-0.
A “Titan Spotlight” is a “contribution” to the group.
It’s when a member shares their specific genius…the “something” they know everything about…or…their “stupid human trick” (hat tip to David Letterman).
What I have learned by hosting close to 200 Titans Xcelerator calls over the past 5+ years:
When you curate a group of members who are geniuses in at least one thing, they become valuable speakers in their own right…often more impactful than “stars” from the outside.
The “Titan Spotlights” are also pure magic.
Another epiphany I’ve had coordinating dozens and dozens of Hot Seats and Spotlights:
While I labeled the Hot Seat as an ask (i.e. “take”) from the group…and the Spotlight as a contribution (i.e. “give”) to the group…seemingly making them different, even opposite, from each other… it is how they are similar which creates the magic.
I’ll call that the “Venn Diagram of Taking to Give…and Giving to Take.”
The shared area below is what I ultimately realized is happening whenever a Hot Seat or Spotlight is delivered with elegance and purpose.
When I say delivered with elegance and purpose, that includes checking one’s ego at the door and coming into the room (or on to the screen) with humility…whether you are ostensibly taking or giving…and leave everything else for another Zoom screen. 😊
Every Hot Seat begins as an ask/take (“I need your help with X challenge”); and every Spotlight comes with a contribution/give (“I want to share what I have found that you might not be aware of which you will be able to apply to your business”).
The elegance and purpose are revealed in the discussion that follows from each, which includes core marketing principles shared and adapted in new and innovative ways, actionable advice…and a host of other goodies and surprises.
I particularly love it when the Hot Seat begins as a narrow discussion of a particular business or niche and then everyone sharing and listening begins to apply the ideas from the discussion to their situation/business, going from a narrow discussion to a much wider one.
A take has now become a give.
Conversely, I also love it when the person delivering their Spotlight, begins to have revelations about their expertise in new and surprising ways.
A give has now become a take.
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Where does your “Energy” fit into all of this?
There’s another dimension to this which I recently learned from the great Perry Marshall…and can be summed up from a book title from the author of War of Art and the man who always has the anecdote for resistance, Steven Pressfield (and I am not nearly doing him justice with that 16-word “Bio”):
Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants To Be
Perry recently wrote an email talking about experiences from his advisory group…much like I was inspired by the experiences inside my Titans Xcelerator Mastermind…regarding when these groups are most effective.
Let me share an excerpt from Perry’s email (which is a brilliant take, one that is often hidden in plain sight, especially when you are seeking and giving advice among your peers):
Most peer advisory groups obsess over the wrong metrics:
Monthly recurring revenue. Profit margins. Customer acquisition costs.
All important. All secondary to the one metric that predicts everything else.
Energy level.
Most masterminds preach “Rise and Grind.”
Hustle harder.
Sleep less.
Push through.
The result?
Burned out entrepreneurs with successful businesses (maybe) and failed relationships (almost always).
[We] take the opposite approach.
When your energy goes up, everything else follows.
When it goes down, everything else craters.
[My members] restructured [their] life around energy optimization.
The schedule blocks weren’t about productivity. They were about sustainability.
The cash cow approach wasn’t about laziness. It was about conservation of energy for what matters most.
The AI-first strategy wasn’t about cutting costs. It was about eliminating energy drains.
Most business advice treats you like a machine that needs better processes and more gasoline.
[My approach] treats you like a human being who needs better priorities.
As [one member] is fond of saying, “Businesses don’t have problems. Businesses have owners who have problems!”
Are you in a peer advisory group that helps you optimize for energy, not just revenue?
Preach Perry! 😊
Note: Perry does use Hot Seats and Spotlights inside his advisory groups like I do…he might call them something else while adding his own special sauce…and his versions are equally impactful as mine…I have experienced them first hand as a guest at his masterminds…and I consider him a mentor in this and so many other areas.
I’ve even “stolen smart” from him, adapting a lot, in addition to his take on a different kind of “energy” which I “stole” above.
Safe to say, the “Venn Diagram of Taking to Give…and Giving to Take” is alive and well inside his groups as well.
Energy=100% Magic too.
One more quote from Sean Stephenson to tie up any loose ends and to bookend to this post:
“Prepare for the day your mentors start seeing you as an equal colleague.”
Sean Stephenson #Sean365
You don’t even need to prepare for it…it just happens if you are giving while asking and asking while giving…being a mentee and mentor simultaneously…putting all your energy into it…and keeping your ass is where your heart wants to be. 😊
Warmly,
Brian
P.S. Four days from today, something extraordinary is happening.
And it’s all value, free, and a way for me to put my ass where my heart wants to be as well.
This extraordinary event is the brainchild of my good friend Joe Polish (the genius behind Genius Network, an entrepreneur’s advisory group like no other, consistent with the Venn Diagram that creates “100% Magic”).
Every August 28th, people all over the world take a day to remember, laugh with, and be inspired by a man who refused to let circumstances define him.
Sean Stephenson wasn’t “supposed” to live more than 24 hours.
He lived for 40 years. And he lived bigger than most people ever dreamt.
He was a mentor and friend of mine from the day I met him until the day he passed…and he created a content library for the ages.
Videos, courses, writings, on-stage presentations (which was a specialty of his…and then he became one of the most sought-after coaches for students looking for their “professor” of public speaking).
His life’s mission: “To rid the world of insecurity.”
He didn’t complete his mission during his 40 years…but he left a huge footprint and gave us all a great start toward that goal.
As many of you know, he was the inspiration for my first blog post in February 2014.
And as you can tell from today’s post (and many others), I quote him often because his thought process and view of the world is so universal.
He is also the star of my blog (along with another key mentor of mine, Marty Edelston) every Valentine’s Day since 2014.
And that brings me the extraordinary event I teased at the beginning of this P.S.:
On the Day of Sean, Joe Polish and his team will be streaming Sean’s most powerful talks, interviews, and unforgettable moments for 24 hours straight.
It’s inspiring.
It’s hilarious.
All at no charge.
And if you absorb it, it will be life changing.
I repeat, there is no fee for tuning in at any point during the 24-hour stream.
And this year, there’s something new…
For the first time, you’ll be able to own The Sean Stephenson Collection, a complete library of Sean’s most transformative courses, so you can bring his teachings into your life forever.
It will only be offered for one day during Day of Sean…and of course there is no obligation to buy it…or anything.
I don’t even have a link for ordering it but I would if I did.
Joe is limiting it to only one day for sales.
And of course, much of the proceeds will be going to charity…details on that when it goes on sale in four days, during Day of Sean.
Did I say Joe is 100% give? And magic? 😊
If you’ve ever wanted Sean in your corner — or want to learn more about him (and then I guarantee you will want him in your corner) — giving you the tools to speak with impact, live with unshakable confidence, and keep your mindset strong — this is your chance.
Mark August 28th on your calendar after you sign up.
Here’s where you can do that to get alerts about the 24-hour stream:
P.P.S. But don’t let me try to convince you to tune in to Day of Sean.
I’ll let Sean do it himself:
“Nothing in your life can continue running smoothly without maintenance.”
-Sean Stephenson #Sean365
Day of Sean is that maintenance program.