- November 6, 2018 -
I've gotta tell you...the last few weeks have been difficult.
Actually...really shi**y.
...deals I was counting on closing haven't.
...deals I've been nursing for 7 months.
...deals that fell apart at the eleventh hour for reasons nothing short of bizarre.
...situations totally out of my control.
You've had those days, right?
Those days that cause you to second and third and fourth guess yourself.
And keep you up at night...asking yourself THE question.
That. You. Can't. Shake.
And the question you need an answer to if you're going to keep grinding it out day after day.
I come across a lot of young investors who start out guns blazing.
They've got the energy, the drive and the youth that afford them the luxury to take big risks that we old(er) people shouldn't/can't take.
But at some point...reality hits and the downward spiral starts.
That's when they come to me with THE question:
"Art, you've been doing this a long time. So here's what I want to know...one guy sets out to start a biz. So does another guy. The first one succeeds. The second one fails. What makes the difference?"
Here's what I tell 'em:
It's all in that six inches between your ears.
The one who FAILS at business tells himself: "I'll try this out for a while and see what happens."
The one who WINS tells himself: "So-and-so has done it so I know it can be done. I'm just gonna to make it work."
The 90% of entrepreneurs who fail go into a start-up full throttle.
And then it gets hard.
...or several years into it, the economy takes a downturn.
...or technology changes and you'll be damned if you're going to make changes.
...or it's just not "fun" anymore.
So they bail.
And start another experiment. No biggie.
Because they've given themselves permission to quit if the going gets tough.
Permission to just cut the chords and move on.
Over and over and over. I've seen it hundreds of times.
Reality check...the going will always get tough!
If I believed in odds, I wouldn't be here.
And you wouldn't.
Here's what you do...find proof that the model works for your industry.
Find one person who's killing it. Who's doing exactly what you're setting out to do.
If they're succeeding, you can.
That's your proof.
That's your anchor to grab on to and hold when you feel like your ship is full of holes, taking on water...and sinking fast.
Here's your anchor. Grab hold.
P.S. By the way, there is a time to quit...more on that later this week.
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