When Eric did his very first public speaking experience, he almost became paralyzed with fear. But that moment also taught him a lasting lesson.
Tune in today to hear what happened and how Eric discovered an antidote to fear and procrastination.
Taking the First Step
When you have done something once, the second time becomes easier. Action is the antidote to fear and procrastination.
Procrastination vs. Action
Planning and scheduling may feel productive, but without action, nothing changes. Many of us hide behind learning and preparation, but progress only comes when we move from thinking to doing.
Accountability as a Success Driver
Having someone to keep you accountable helps you to follow through. An accountability partner helps ensure that your goals translate into daily actions.
Leading vs. Lagging Indicators
Lagging indicators measure outcomes after the fact (like annual revenue), while leading indicators are daily actions that move results forward. Your success lies in identifying and consistently practicing those leading indicators.
The Daily Three
Each evening, Eric identifies three key tasks for the next day. These are small but meaningful steps that move the needle and ensure his steady progress toward bigger goals.
The Urgency of Time
Setting two or three main priorities toward the end of each year will help you to finish strong. Narrowing your focus will increase the likelihood of a meaningful achievement before the year closes.
Preparing for the Next Year
Planning for 2026 begins now, not after the holidays. Writing down your priorities early allows you time for reflection, adjustment, and clarity, and ensures your preparation for the coming year.
The Power of Focus
Distractions like webinars, AI trends, events, and opportunities will always be there, but results come from focusing on what truly matters. Constantly ask yourself, “Does this action move me closer to my main goals?”
Realistic and Optimistic Goal-Setting
We often overestimate our short-term capacity but underestimate our long-term potential. Being realistic yet staying optimistic helps you balance pressure with perspective.
Doing Over Learning
Eric loves learning, but he emphasizes that results come only when knowledge is applied. “Doing” transforms ideas into tangible outcomes.
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“As much as I love learning, the most important thing is to finally start doing.”
Eric Rozenberg
Full transcript of episode 344 of The Business of Meetings podcast, a solo episode with Eric Rozenberg. Lightly edited for readability.
Eric Rozenberg: Hello and welcome to the Business of Meetings Podcast. I’m your host, Eric Rozenberg.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of helping businesses in the meetings and events industry grow and succeed. And I’m excited to share that experience with you. If you feel alone and overwhelmed, and if you’re looking to take your business to the next level, improve your strategy and sales, and connect with like-minded professionals, you are in the right place. I invite you to visit eventbusinessformula.com and join our community of event business owners dedicated to exponential growth. Now let’s dive into today’s episode.
Hello and welcome to a new episode of the Business of Meetings Podcast. I clearly remember the very first time I spoke in public. I was scared, and I was so scared that I didn’t have any more saliva in my mouth and my upper lips was stick above my teeth. So I spend the whole presentation moving back my upper lips, and at the end I asked for feedback, and my friends told me it was very interesting, and what was the problem with your lips? So I can always remember that we laughed afterwards when I told him how scared I was. I was in the north of Denmark in Tranom at a conference of students of an association that I was a member of, and guess what? After having done it once, I say, okay, I can do it twice, and so on and so forth.
And as Lao Tzu said, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And that’s something that more often than none is missing. We procrastinate, put some nice plans together, put the calendar, the schedule, and if you’re like me, when I was studying, I would plan those exams period. I’m going to do this subject that day, that subject that day. And when I was finishing the calendar, I felt very good, although I hadn’t learned anything yet.
So that’s really my recommendation to you, is to find someone that you could be accountable to, but that really you start doing. See, the issue is that we love learning, and I love learning. I love attending webinars. I love reading books. Really, I’m really thirsty for knowledge, and I can spend hours and days thinking I should first finish that course, I should just first finish that webinar. And I’m attending amazing sessions provided by amazing people, and all seems nice, logical, clever. Question is, if I don’t put myself into it, nothing, and nothing, absolutely nothing is going to happen.
And you’ve been familiar with some of the previous podcast I share, there is a concept called leading indicator versus lagging indicator. The lagging indicator is something that you measure afterwards, like for instance, how much revenue you generated in a year. But the leading indicator is really what is it that you should be doing every single day in order to get the results at the end of the year. So knowing exactly what you should be measuring, and then doing it every day, and having this accountability partner is definitely the way to go to get the results and to shift from the learning and learning and learning into the doing part.
Other trick that I’m using as well is that every night I’m thinking about the next day, and I’m thinking, what are the three things of the day that I should be achieving in order for me to win the day? Again, it doesn’t have to be a big, big, big accomplishment, but a little bit every day. And those three things are moving the needle forward and making sure that I’m getting the results at the end of the week, or at the end of the month, or at the end of the year.
And if you think about it, today is the last day of the third quarter. In other words, we have one last quarter left in 2025. If you take off one or two weeks for Christmas, it means that we’re almost at the end of the year in two and a half months. And what I’m trying to do for myself, which I strongly encourage you to do, is to think about what we want to accomplish before the end of the year. What is the two or three main goals that you have to finish up the year strong and to prepare for 2026?
If you’re listening to this and you’re interested, and I’m organizing a mastermind with a small group of people at the end of November. We’re going to be working for 2026. But if you don’t have the time or the opportunity to join that mastermind, again, write down the two or three main objective you want to finish up by the end of the year. Find an accountability partner. Decide on the frequency at which you’re going to talk to each other, and make sure that you’re focusing your time on achieving those two, three priorities.
The challenge is that we are bombarded by a lot of information. There’s a lot of opportunities, and remaining focused on what matters most is how you’re going to get results. Again, I love learning, but if we want to get results, we need to start doing and focusing on those objective and focusing on what we want to be achieving before the end of this year. As my idol Yoda would say, do or do not, there is no try.
One more time, the challenge is remaining focused. You have so many opportunities, so many different webinars, courses, things changing in the world. What is going to happen with AI? Should I go to the trade show? What is it about this fam trip, and about the client, etc., etc., etc.? The main reason for you to remain focused is to get those results, which, by the way, you’ll feel much better about it. But it’s really having this priorities in mind in all ways, thinking about that and always evaluating whatever it is that I’m going to do today, tomorrow, this week. Is it helping me achieve my goal for the next 3 months?
We have the last quarter of the year to finish up strongly this year. We have the last quarter of the year to start preparing for 2026 and to be realistic about what we do, but also optimistic. There is a say that we usually overestimate what we can do in a short period of time, but underestimate what we are able to achieve in a longer period of time.
So my wish for you in the next 3 months is really to focus on two or three priorities max and to already start preparing for 2026. You don’t want to wait for after Thanksgiving to start thinking about next year. You want to start now. You want to write down what matters to you, and then you have the time to think about it, to let your brain works on it, to sleep on it, and to define your priorities.
I hope this is helpful. One more time, if you have any question, reach out. And that’s what I love doing, helping people, helping people get results. And as much as I love learning, the most important thing is to finally start doing. That’s how we get results. Thank you, and I’ll see you next week on the next episode of the Business of Meetings Podcast.
Thank you for tuning in to the Business of Meetings Podcast. I hope you found today’s episode valuable. If you enjoy the show, the most important thing you can do is leave a review and share it with your colleagues. It really helps spread the word. I truly appreciate your support, and if you’re ready to take your business to the next level, don’t forget to visit eventbusinessformula.com to learn more about how we are helping event business owners like you. Thanks again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.
