I absolutely love catchphrases. When used as part of our language and culture, they become a great ‘shorthand’ to make a point or to provide direction.
You will notice these catchphrases throughout the For Impact thinking and writing:
Shoulder-to-shoulder. Right people on the bus. Don’t make decisions for your prospects. Hope is not a strategy. Think … and grow rich. (Even) Just Ask.
I came across this great catchphrase/book/YouTube hit recently:
Simple backstory: Ben Hunt-Davis wrote a book capturing Great Britain’s almost- miraculous win at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. (Here’s a great six-minute clip of the race.)
Hunt-Davis now gives talks all around Europe about how their crew could have kept doing the ‘same old thing’, and continue to come in well behind all the other international crews.
They came up with a simple mantra/question: WILL IT MAKE THE BOAT GO FASTER?
For them, that applied to everything they did. For example:
If we spent an extra hour on the rowing machine … will it make the boat go faster? Obvious answer: Yes.
If we go to the pub tonight … will it make the boat go faster?
Obvious answer: No.
I don’t want you to overthink this. The beauty of a catchphrase is in its simplicity.
You can decide whatever your ‘boat’ is. (A goal, a project, revenue/income, whatever.)
Then, decide on what ‘faster’ equates to. (More successful, etc.)
Then, simply ask yourself every day:
