by Stephen Tremp
Like most people, you’ve wondered what is one of the biggest ‘negative slices’ of the pie chart that makes up you, and is causing you to spin your wheels in what I call the black icky stuff?
I asked myself the same question. The answer came while on a night time walk appreciating the cool air and the beauty and silence of the starry sky.
I had far too many sacred cows that needed slaying.
This includes everything from false doctrines to growing up in a system ruled by “The Bell” telling me when to start and end class for the first thirteen of my first eighteen years of life. Or a Time Clock telling me when I must start and end another incredibly boring shift at work.
You name it, I probably had one of each. I received and embraced too many traditionally sacred cows consisting of bad programs and even worse systems I had been following that simply were not working.
I too was spinning my wheels in the black icky stuff.
Ugh!
Often these destructive myths are hand-me-downs, passed on to us from our well-meaning family elders. They come from peer pressure. We accept them as social norms.
“Sacred cows make great hamburger” — Mark Twain
What are Sacred Cows
A sacred cow is nothing more than an elevated belief system that, for some crazy reason, we think is so darn important and readily accepted without challenge or criticism—often unconsciously. They are unreasonably immune from internal and external opposition.
Sacred cows come in many shapes, sizes and colors. You have them. I have them. We all have them. They dwell among us. We make them our pets and friends and invite them into our homes to dwell with us.
Sacred cows give a false sense of security while taking credit for past successes.
These false truths can permeate our current way of thinking. We often believe there will be negative consequences if we stop allowing inherited traditions to frame and even dictate our lives.
Over the years I found myself playing poker with sacred cows and losing, because I didn’t realize I was the patsy at the table. They continually bluffed me into thinking they were my friends, all the while robbing me and forcing me to look elsewhere to place the blame.
No more!
“If you’ve been playing poker for half an hour and you still don’t know who the patsy is, you’re the patsy.” — Warren Buffett
Okay, Let’s Slay Some Sacred Cows
But how, you ask? I have a simple three-step process to help you slay those false belief systems that are sucking the life out of your personal and professional net worth.
You first need to identify sacred cows in your life. How, you ask again? Let me count the ways.
1. You have no idea what and why you are doing something.
2. It’s not accomplishing what it’s supposed to achieve.
3. You defend failures with silly excuses or blame someone else.
4. Try performing a task differently. Color outside the lines. Go play in the mud. If you receive positive or better results, you probably have a sacred cow.
5. Forget about the numbers and social status. Temptation falls in the realm of psychology, and this often translates into keeping up with the Joneses.
6. If you have a rigid system such as time management you probably have a sacred cow. Can there be a worst term that does the exact opposite and causes people to waste time, energy, money and other resources?
7. You subscribe to the Slave => Save => Retire theory.
Step One: Have a Plan of Action
To slay a valued untouchable, you might have to write down a plan of action. After all, they are (ahem) sacred. They could have those adorable Puss in Boots eyes. They might even snuggle up under your chin and purr. Awww, so cute and warm and fuzzy.
Step Two: Slay Away
This might be as easy as raising a white flag and simply letting go. Open a window, give it a handful of helium filled balloons, and let it float up and away until it’s no longer in sight.
Or, you might have to be ruthless. Be strong and of a good courage! Get violent and swing your Sword of Gryffindor to instigate the change you need in your personal and professional life. You might offend people who are still clinging to their sacred cows along the way.
That’s okay. Swing away.
Step Three: Develop Built-In Self-Correcting Mechanisms
A slain sacred cow must be replaced.
A vacuum demands its empty space be filled with something. I watch people make the same mistakes over and over. Even after they recognize a sacred cow and slay it, their decision-making process doesn’t change.
You will need to develop built-in self-correcting mechanisms. Identify the underlying cause of your now dead sacred cow and replace it. There will be some trial and error, but that’s okay. Look for someone who is successful in a similar area and ask what they do. Be flexible. You’ll figure it out. I did.
It takes time to replace something you’ve been doing for years. I’ve been, and will be for the rest of my life, developing built-in self-correcting mechanisms. They help spot sacred cows, bad habits and under-productive behaviors.
Reward Yourself
You are free to color outside the lines and play in the mud! Then go out and celebrate. Do something nice for yourself. Slaying a sacred cow deserves a nice reward.
Oh By The Way
We live in a world where digital marketing gurus promote self-made systems as bullet-proof methods that all but assure you great success. You see them advertised on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and other social media platforms. You can easily spot these promotions as they use words like:
Sure-fire formula
Never before revealed
What the gurus won’t teach you
Master Class
10 easy steps to retire in one year
Become an expert on days (I literally just saw this)
Follow this proven path
My proven system
The … everyone is talking about
Use my universal triggers!
Some of these systems work, at least for a time. But often they are one-hit wonders, and when Facebook or YouTube of Google Ads changes their algorithms without any notice to the general public, these one-hit wonders can become obsolete overnight.
Never allow yourself to accept a one-hit wonder digital marketing platform as a sacred cow. How to know? Refer to the bullet point list above for clues.
Changing Trends
Simply put, regardless of the side of the political aisle you sit, our universe and the world we live in finds something offensive seemingly every day. In an instant you can be cancelled and your personal and professional career can be destroyed.
Many digital marketers understand this and exploit people who might purchase their products or services, then turn their services into sacred cows for their followers. This is exactly how they develop their digital marketing platforms. Recipients invest so much time, money and other resources into them it seems almost impossible to back out.
They are often marketed as a one size fits all. In reality, all many have is a hammer and everything looks like a nail.
Protect yourself from buying into a system.
Call to Action
Identify sacred cows, confirm they are indeed such animals, and develop a plan to slay and replace them with something more flexible you can use to increase your personal and professional net worth.