The Four Windows

Do you know why books, mentors, and being curious are so vital to your future? I loved the "Rule of Thumb" that my friend Jon Appino uses. It's a joke, but exposes a truth. People do not like reading books because they were forced to in school. I was EXACTLY the same leaving college and working at GE as an engineer. But then I started my first side hustle as an Amway IBO and was encouraged to start reading personal growth books. I learned this right away, understood it, and decided to embrace it. "You will be in 5 years based on the books you read and the people you associate with." Then it all connected when I learned about the Four Windows from Amway legend John Crowe. This knowledge has served me well for over a decade and I hope it hits the nail on the head for you. Here's a word of warning. This episode will cut you open and expose some truths about you that you do not like.

Think of a window with cross lattices and therefore 4 individual panes of glass in the same window. These are the four windows. Each has a different viewpoint on YOU!

The top left window represents the THINGS THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT EVERYONE ELSE ALSO KNOWS. Typically, this window contains your physical appearance and outward habits. For example, I have brown eyes, brown hair, and record this podcast. We do not learn much in this window, but we tend to operate here in our life too often. Nothing ever changes and no growth occurs. This window represents the status quo.

The top right window represents the THINGS THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT NO ONE ELSE KNOWS. This can be your dreams and aspirations and it can be your internal struggles, addictions, double talk, hypocrisy. Since no one else knows what is going on in your head, they can't help you. Therefore, if you remain in this window and keep doing the same thing over and over again, you'll get the same results. This is what Einstein calls insanity. Others choose to grow and pursue change based on what they know about them. This was me when I learned how important books were. I made the decision to read personal growth books in the areas I was strong and weak to improve both! This was my first step to becoming a lifetime learner.

The bottom left window represents the THINGS THAT OTHERS KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW. This is called your blind spot. It's called this because you do not see it. Think of driving on the freeway. You want to switch lanes and there is a car in your blind spot that you don't see. What happens if you change lanes? You cause an accident. Multiple cars and sometimes multiple people are damaged and injured. You pray it's not fatal! How can you prevent from hitting that car? You have to first know it's there! That's what a coach or mentor does for you. They see things that you don't see. They recognize through experience what you're about to crash into. The question is this. Will you ask for the help? Will you submit your ego and pride, humble yourself in submission, become genuinely curious of the answer to the tough question:  "What am I not seeing that I should be?". Once you've asked, you then must be willing to accept the answer and make the changes so that the things others see in you that you do not become things that you see too. This humility and action moves the 3rd window blind spots into the 1st and 2nd windows for action! Mentorship is critical to your growth. This also opens the door for you to read books and attend workshops on topics that were blind spots and can now grow you. For example, I have a friend in our industry that never asks for help. He knows what he needs or he is too prideful or ashamed to ask me. Thus, he makes the same mistake over and over when they could be prevented. I submitted myself to my coaches and mentors and asked them to hold me accountable. I also gave them permission to call out my blind spots when they see them so I don't take my family into a ditch or off a mountain. This is the hardest change to make. It requires submission to another human that you respect. You must become a humble and curious person. Will you make this change? Do you have a mentor to help you in this area? That's the purpose of the Solo Cleaning School Elite Membership. I have walked this path ahead of you and have a system to help you optimize your solo cleaning business.

The bottom right window represents the THINGS THAT OTHERS DO NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW. This is a spiritual window or what's called the great unknown or the hidden part of the iceberg which is said to be over 90% of its mass! This is the super seed. Napoleon Hill calls this tapping into Infinite Intelligence in his book "Think and Grow Rich". I'm a Christian and look at the fourth window like this. These are the things that ONLY GOD knows about you. I choose to participate in this area of growth by humbling myself before God, allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal knowledge and wisdom to me, and act on it in obedience! Oh, if more people would operate in this window! 

The knowledge of these four windows changed my life and I hope it has made a profound difference in yours!