This might upset you a little...

But you might also thank me, too. Haha!  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [UNSTUCK]() From the desk of Pat Flynn December 20, 2022 --------------------------------------------------------------- [Pat Flynn smiling, wearing a shirt that reads "Do a lot with a little"] ​ Hi there, it’s Pat. Every year I do this one simple exercise, and it’s amazing how much benefit it brings me, and also how mad I get at myself for not doing it more often. And no, it’s not a fitness exercise. This is actually more of a “reconnecting” exercise, and as much as that may sound a little “heady” or “woo woo”, trust me — it’ll only take a minute to see just how much we’re not connecting. Let’s get unstuck. Shout out to my friend, Jordan Harbinger, for the inspiration behind this email. QUOTE OF THE WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------- “If you’re digging your well and you’re already thirsty, you’re too late." — Jordan Harbinger THE STORY --------------------------------------------------------------- Jordan was almost left in the streets with nothing. His business partners kicked him out of the very company he had built, and they even took his name with them to continue the podcast he had created and hosted. It was a wild story, but when Jordan Harbinger told it to me during [session 346 of the Smart Passive Income podcast](=), I couldn’t help but wonder, how did he get back on his feet? His answer: “my layoff lifeline”. A layoff lifeline, as Jordan explained, was simply a list of real relationships that he had made with people in his industry. The key factor, however, was that these were long-lasting relationships that he continued to check in on time and time again, with no other purpose than to see how they were doing. “It’s like digging a well. When you dig a well before you ever need the water, then you’ll never be thirsty. If you’re digging a well and you’re already thirsty, it’s too late.” When the time came to ask for a favor, these people were quick to reply and help out. I experienced this first hand because I was one of those people Jordan reached out to. Before he was extracted from his company, I was friends with Jordan. When I thought about how we became friends, it was exactly like he had said — he continuously checked in with me to see how I was doing. He would email me, out of nowhere, just to say hi and see if there was anything he could help with. Sometimes, he would send me a message after an event he attended and share some valuable things he learned, knowing it would be of interest to me. One time, I remember he texted me while I was on vacation. Jokingly, he messaged that he hoped I wouldn’t see the text because I was supposed to be taking time off (which he likely knew from a tweet or Instagram post). But if I did see the message, he hoped I was having a good time and wished my family well. All he did was send a comical message, not asking for anything in return, but knowing it would put a smile on my face. Which it did. Eventually, when he texted me asking for help, I called him as soon as I had a free moment. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: it’s all about relationships. After the interview was over, I looked at my phone and realized there were so many people I had once connected with, but never reached back out to. So at Jordan’s suggestion, I did the following reconnection exercise: Your Call to Action (If you don’t have a phone, you can still do this exercise in principle. Read the steps anyway — it’ll make complete sense once you’re through.) Step 1: Open your phone and go to your text messages. Step 2: Scroll all the way down to the bottom. These are the people who you have waited the longest to reconnect with. Step 3: If there are any people that you feel compelled to reach out to, do so! You can skip the automated texts and one-time messages from randos of course, but anyone who you wish you had reconnected with sooner, now is your time. Step 4: Just say hi, and in your own voice, say that they came to mind! Something like, “Hey, it’s been a while! I noticed we haven’t connected in a long time, how are you? How’s [insert thing you remember about them here]? Step 5: If you get a reply, awesome. If not, that’s okay too! You can obviously do this with DMs on a social media platform, or with anyone that comes to mind who you haven’t reached out to in a while. During a live event, I asked the entire audience to do this same exact exercise, right at that very moment. I also asked everyone to turn ON the sound of their phone. After just a couple minutes, the entire room started dinging with replies. It was incredible. Reconnections happening in real time. Days later, I heard back from so many people in the audience. They were reconnecting with old friends; having dinners together, and one person even flew out to see an old friend who was in need at the time. Go ahead, give it a shot, and try to build this into a routine. It doesn’t take much time, but it can be a lifesaver down the road. ​ ​ALL-ACCESS PASS --------------------------------------------------------------- Gain the resources, skills, and motivation you need to grow your business, with the [All-Access Pass](=), SPI’s community-led educational experience. The revolutionary way of combining the power of community with innovative online course curricula. Upskill and Grow Your Business This is how we make it happen for you: - Pathways: Follow our recommended curriculum journeys to achieve your goals faster. For new entrepreneurs, there is the Starter Pathway, designed to help take your concept into an actual business. Check out the Podcasting Pathway, a guide to launching, growing, and monetizing your podcast. The Income Booster Pathway will help you amplify your revenue streams. - Accelerators: Follow a syllabus that maps out the weekly lessons and activities. Connect with others in the Academy community to work together on lessons and support each other. - Workshops: Go deeper on specific topics or learn adjacent skills in monthly live workshops. Or peruse past ones in the workshop library. ​[Learn more here](=) on how to become a member and begin to accelerate your business. SPONSORED BY OTHERBOARD = The only dashboard you need to grow your blog Are you spending too much time managing data? Do you feel like you're not getting insights that will grow your blog? If so, it's time to try Otherboard. With integrations for WordPress, Mediavine, Google Analytics, AdWords, Search Console, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube, you'll get access to all your data in one place. Key stats for every social and blog post provide just what you need to make informed decisions about your content. Plus, you can assign tasks to team members and manage your content creation workflows with ease. So why wait? Spend less time handling data, and more time growing your revenue with Otherboard today. [LEARN MORE](=) ​SPI NEWS AND NOTES --------------------------------------------------------------- We work hard at SPI to remain unstuck and consistently provide you with the latest news, trends, and events to support your businesses. Check it out: - How do we create more time when our calendars are full? How do we stop procrastinating and progress towards our goals today? On [this episode]() of the Smart Passive Income podcast, guest [Jason Feifer](), editor-in-chief of [Entrepreneur]() magazine, answers those questions & more. [Subscribe and listen](! - ​[Affiliate marketing]() is a great way to boost your income. All you have to do is be the connector between the audience you’re building and the products and services they need to succeed. So how do you get started and what methods do you use? [Our Ultimate Step by Step Guide]( answers those questions and much more. Make affiliate marketing part of your success. - Start 2023 by making new connections with fellow entrepreneurs. [Join us on Wednesday, January 11th from 2:00pm - 3:00pm (EST)](), for our free virtual Networking Event. Learn about what other business owners’ struggles are, provide insight from your own experiences, and receive helpful tips from other just like you. [Sign up today]() and add it to your calendar! DAD JOKE OF THE WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------- Me: What do IDK, LY & TTYL mean? Son: I don’t know, love you, talk to you later. Me: Ok, I will ask your sister. ​ Did a cool person forward you this email? [Sign up here for free.]( Want to reach over 125,000 entrepreneurs? [Become a sponsor.]( ​ Thanks for reading! You are receiving this because you signed up for Pat Flynn’s newsletter at [smartpassiveincome.com](). If you'd like to adjust which emails you receive or update your name and email address, [click here to update your Subscriber Preferences.]( If you'd like to stop receiving all emails from SPI, simply [unsubscribe from my emails.]( No hard feelings. 10531 4S Commons Drive, Suite 524, San Diego, CA 92127