The difference between being eccentric or being a schmuck

Once upon a time, “Email Players” subscriber Jameel Paul asked… === I keep thinking about something and I have a question Ben: Time-keeping is important, and I agree with you and Dan Kennedy when you refuse to work with people who can't show up on time. Then I got to thinking about Steve Jobs and Elon Musk who were reportedly late for a lot of things. I saw a speech where Jobs's first words were "Sorry for being late, I got stuck in traffic." (those were in the early days, he had proper shaggy hair) Then in Elon's biography, the author wrote that he showed up late for their first meeting! Are these two guys (and the few like them) just anomalies? Are they the 0.0001% of genius people who can get away with it? Or is there something deeper going on? I've seen that Elon claimed to have Aspergers and Job's wife said he had it too, no idea if that has anything to do with it or not. Would love your thoughts on this. I'm all about time-keeping but it's strange to see some really high-performers violate that rule. Thanks Ben Jameel === The short answer: I would not rely on either if I needed something done on time. The slightly longer answer: There is a brilliant quote in Sam Zell’s “Am I Being Too Subtle?” book that I think can be applied to time management as well as how people dress: “If you dress funny and you’re great at what you do, you’re eccentric. But if you dress funny and you’re just OK at what you do, you’re a schmuck.” Fun fact: Gary Halbert was notorious for blowing deadlines and wearing a “Clients Suck” hat at seminars. If you’re Gary Halbert doing that, you’re an eccentric. If you’re not Gary Halbert doing that, you’re a schmuck. Much to unpack in this email. I suggest reading it many times. Especially if you don’t want to be a schmuck. After that, and only after that… check out: [https∶//www.EmailPlayers.com]( Ben Settle This email was sent by Ben Settle as owner of Settle, LLC. Copyright © 2022 Settle, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this email may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Settle, LLC. Click here to [unsubscribe]( Settle, LLC PO Box 1056 Gold Beach Oregon 97444 USA