Shawn Blanc on Building Margin Into Your Life So You Can Win More

<p>Shawn Blanc shares how margin impacts every area of your life, and why every professional who is serious about building authentic business relationships needs margin to do it. Learn how margin allows you to say yes to the most important things, how to create genuine relationships, and why slowing down and planning can save not just your business, but also your life.</p> <p> </p> <p>Mo asks Shawn Blanc: What big idea do you have that professionals can use to do a better job at business development?</p> <ul> <li>Margin, also known as breathing room, is the space in our lives between the stuff that we do and the limit where we fall off the cliff. It’s very easy, especially in the world of business, for people to push their energy to the absolute limits where there is zero margin in our lives.</li> <li>Margin can apply to more than just business, it can apply to all areas and relationships in your life.</li> <li>Having breathing room in Shawn’s life helps him lean into his strength as a Yellow thinker. Shawn feels the constant need to fill every moment in his life with something productive, so the reminder of building in the margins is critical to doing his best work.</li> <li>Working on projects that are due weeks ahead instead of the next morning allows you to work more effectively with less stress.</li> <li>For business and your personal life, margin exists to benefit your relationships. When you have no margin in your life you are tapped out in your schedule and physically, and this leaves little strength left over for your relationships, including business development.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>Mo asks Shawn Blanc: How do we use margin to grow our book of business and get more opportunities?</p> <ul> <li>Shawn shares the parable of the good samaritan and how margin relates to opportunities.</li> <li>The ability to say no to certain opportunities is as important as the ability to say yes. When we are not clear around our priorities or have no margin within our schedule, it can be easy to say yes to everything and