I was reading a great book recently—10X Is Easier Than 2X. And I know, for some, the phrase “10X” triggers the thought, “Oh no, here we go again… do more, push harder, hustle longer.” However, that is not what it’s about. It’s not about doing more—it’s about doing less, but with more clarity and more leverage.
Let me share a story.
Michelangelo is widely regarded as one of the greatest sculptors of all time. And his most famous piece? David. Now, here’s the part that is often overlooked—David wasn’t carved from a flawless slab of marble. Quite the opposite. That piece of stone was rejected, tossed aside by other sculptors. Too flawed. Unusable. Michelangelo saw something different.
Before he ever picked up the chisel, he already saw his David. The image was clear in his mind. And then? He simply removed everything that wasn’t David.
That’s it. That’s the magic. That’s 10X thinking.
I recently had a coaching conversation with a client. He’s launching a franchise, and there are a lot of moving pieces. I asked him a simple question: “Is this your David?” He paused, thought about it, and said, “Yes. This is my David.” Perfect.
Now, if that’s true—if this is your masterpiece—then the next step is just as important: what has to go? What needs to be removed, delegated, or released so you can stay focused and chiseling away at the one thing that matters most?
That’s the essence of this work. We’re all surrounded by distractions—new ideas, conferences, social media, AI this and that, books and podcasts and emails. There’s always something shiny pulling at our attention. But when you’re clear on your David? The noise fades. You see what fits and what doesn’t. You know your role, your focus, your lane.
And when you’re in that lane—when you’re working from your highest purpose—you bring others into theirs. You empower your team, your business, your life.
So, this week, I encourage you to ask yourself:
What’s your David?
What’s the thing you’re building that matters more than the rest?
And just as importantly—what needs to be removed so it can fully take shape?
Let’s get clear. Let’s get focused. Let’s get sculpting.
COACH MICHAEL DILL is an Award-Winning Certified Business Coach, global speaker, and published author. He is a proud ActionCOACH Franchise Partner as well as the President of Power & Ice Wealth Creation—a strategic leadership company that works with business owners, leaders, teams, and entrepreneurs to both develop a systematized and structured organization while accelerating their mindset, efficiencies, and effectiveness to grow both personally and professionally to achieve extraordinary results. He brings more than 40 years of business and entrepreneurial experience in his leadership, team training, and mentoring practice.
BusinessCoachMichaelDill.com