What should I wear, who is going to fetch the kids, what can I cook tonight, How am I going to pay this/that bill, why haven’t I heard from them in forever, how am I going to provide for my child’s future, will I ever find someone to love, what do I really want to do with my life????? Any of these sound familiar?
I would assume that we can all relate to at least one or two of these specific examples… beyond that we all probably have a few more of our own.
I read a tweet tonight from one of my biggest “business” mentor’s (excluding my dad of course…hehe)
“Entrepreneurs: See yourself as victorious. Look at the solution, not the problem”. – Donald Trump
This advice is applicable in ALL facets of our daily existence!!!
I come from a family of entrepreneurs and am inspired by people who are self-motivated. I have been blessed to have been given a healthy balance of “character” as far as my parents are concerned… My father is my greatest mentor when it comes to business related matters, he is wiser than I could ever dream of being and without blinking an eyelid has solved the most complex problems in front of others whilst they remain dumb struck or defeat riddled.. (No denying that he was my first love, is there?!…hahahahaha!)
My mom is equally as wise but more so with matters of the family and heart. She unties the most complex emotional knots and manages to still stand up, smile and be gracious all at the same time. She is my best friend. Always has been and always will be.
I count myself lucky in that my character appears to have developed into an “almost” equal 50/50 ratio of both of what my parents had to “give”. I am career orientated, determined, confident, stubborn and persistent but I am also caring, considerate, loving, empathetic and extremely sexy! – hahahaha!!! (Ok, ok… sorry mom, I have to give that one to both my folks. Lol)
Thanks mom and dad. Hehe!
Almost 15 years ago, for some reason, (some days I struggle to remember why) – I decided to give employers the middle finger (yes…literally – lol) and go work for myself. I have made MANY mistakes, I have learnt MUCH, I have FAILED and I have SUCCEEDED – although – as an entrepreneur in South Africa, I think I have simply SUCCEEDED. Hahahaha! (Yeah…. It is BRUTAL!)
I am de-railing….lol
The point I am trying to get to is that I come across entrepreneurs every single day of my life. Some established, some not. Some motivated, some not. At the end of the day, I have noticed that a good 90% of people give up on their “entrepreneurial dreams” – or dreams in general!!! - When in truth, they haven’t actually given themselves or their dreams, half a chance!
People start out enthusiastic and they give it “their all” – but then things become complicated and they lose their footing – and along with that, their enthusiasm / passion. They start stressing about bills and suppliers, kids, bonds, electricity and a mountain of other things and then more often than not, they wave their white flag.
I am not going to lie or pretend that I am immune from these stresses… but the reality is, you are where you are! And yes! You put yourself there! – So STOP. BREATHE. And look for a solution! There is ALWAYS a solution! Take each aspect of the problem and break it down. Write it down, think about it – and then let it go. Let your focus diffuse and then let the ideas start rolling! At a moment when you least expect it, you will find your solution or at the very least, the foundation of it… and from there you can work.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day” – uhuh! – When I was 18, naive and incredibly arrogant (ok, I am still arrogant - lol), I wanted to leave (my last) job, and one of my customers overheard me talking… his advice to me was “if you want hard work – work for yourself” - Needless to say, I laughed him off..
NEVER WERE TRUER WORDS SPOKEN!!
But! (And it’s a big but) – The rewards far outweigh the toils. (Wait – I am lying…haha! Just kidding!)
Once again I am babbling… hahahaha!!!
Point?
STRESSED? – Get up with the intent of solving your problem. Be proactive in that manner. Be constructive. Bloody hell, if you can’t think of a way to be constructive about solving your problem then GOOGLE it… I can assure you – your problem is DEFINITELY not as unique as you would like to believe it is and there is bound to be some advice for you “out there”…
DESPONDENT ABOUT YOUR DREAM/GOAL? If you can see it, if you can feel it and if it gets you jumping out of bed, excited to “plan” it – then DO IT. But remember, EVERYTHING takes time. You cannot expect to put one good sweat session in and presume to look like a Victoria’s Secret model… NO, you need to…
let me think about how to put this to you…..
You need to…
BEND OVER BACKWARDS, EVERYTIME! WORK YOUR ASS OFF ALL THE TIME. EVERY DAY & EVERY NIGHT! THERE ARE NO QUICK FIXES! AND THERE ARE NO EXCUSES!
The “hard” way… is the REAL way (and yes this rule applies to just about everything! Lol) – but much like the rewards of entrepreneurial independence, the rewards of your efforts towards anything in life are always tenfold.
The secret is however, to do everything with a positive energy. Be grateful for EVERY single challenge (pleasing or not) and always keep the end desire / result / goal in your mind’s eye.
Oh…
And NEVER. GIVE. UP.
Everything you persist through….. Shall pass.
Awesome concept really, isn’t it ;)