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Seeds For Thought
Believe in Yourself
Stop making excuses and believe in yourself.Wouldn't it be nice if someone could just command you to be a success? You must be successful. That's an order! And you thought, "OH, OK, I hadn't thought of that myself. I'll do it." What holds people back from success? Is there really such a thing as fear of success? In the world, perhaps there are a very few people who would be afraid to have a nice car, wonderful job, great house and be able to take fantastic vacations and spoil their loved ones. These poor people have real psychological problems. They need a lot more than motivational encouragement. They need professional help. So, what's holding back most people from reaching for their potential? Well, underachieving can be a very comfortable cocoon. George gets comfortable being a bus driver. He is accepted as a bus driver. You don't go up to a bus driver and ask him why he doesn't live in a $500,000 house with a swimming pool. That would be rude. The man is a bus driver. Dora is comfortable as a meat cutter. She is accepted as a meat cutter. You don't ask her why she doesn't submit her photos to magazine and newspapers. Give the lady a break. She is very good at slicing baloney. They are comfortable and accepted. They don't have to change. Who is asking them to change? What right has anyone got to pressure anyone else? Remember that with change comes risk and the very real possibility of pain and some deprivation. Before we get to major changes like starting a business or being a super salesperson or becoming a top executive, let's look at something relatively simple like losing twenty pounds. To lose that twenty pounds, you must endure several months of pain and deprivation. Yes, everyone hopes that some guru will find a magical painless weight losing formula. Unfortunately, for all of us, the truth is that losing weight is a physical process of burning more calories than you take in. When you go through this physical process you will get hungry and hunger hurts and hunger makes you angry and anxious. But, who wants to hear about pain and deprivations? No normal person is going to sign up for a diet that promises results but warns, "As you lose the pounds, you may feel an overwhelming urge to run through your neighborhood screaming with rage. Please do not carry any type of weapon with you when you are on this diet." Honesty equals failure in the weight loss business. Frito Lay introduced a diet potato chip with a new miracle chemical called "olestra." You would lose weight eating these chips because they had one significant side effect, they might cause "spontaneous uncontrollable diarrhea." Gee, I'll take two bags of those to bring on my first date. Frito Lay told the truth and olestra chips were a failure. As Jack Nicholson said in A Few Good Men, "You can't handle the truth!" Losing weight is never going to be easy for anyone on any diet. Losing weight is leaving your comfort zone. It is unpleasant. If it were easy, a lot more people would be thin. To succeed at dieting, you need a lot of will power. You must actually believe that, "No food tastes as good as being thin. I will accept the pain to be thinner." You think to yourself. "This is really unpleasant. I could be doing something very pleasant and eat a Twinkie. I can use a sugar rush right now. BUT INSTEAD I WILL GO TO MY ROOM AND SCREAM INTO A PILLOW. I will persevere. I will be thin." Now, losing weight can be a piece of cake compared to making other major life decisions like starting a business. Are you ready to risk that $30,000 you have saved dollar by dollar? Are you ready to borrow another $20,000? Again, immediate gratification battles possible long-term reward. There will always be that little devil on your shoulder telling you that you don't have to do this. You could forget starting the business and take all that $30,000 and buy a nicer home, a vacation home, a piece of income property or pay for a college tuition. You could do lots of good things with $30,000. Anyway, aren't the odds for surviving more than one year in business 50/50? Why take the risk? Most people find an acceptable reason for being safe, for example, "I want to be safe." This sounds perfectly normal and reasonable. Others will agree. No one will blame you. Did anyone call you a loser yesterday? Of course not. So relax; no one is going to push you to excel today or tomorrow either. A few extra bucks would be nice so you think about asking for a promotion at work. Yes, you qualify for the promotion but there is a steep downside. You'll have to move. You'll have to work for a new district manager with a reputation as a jerk. Your spouse and kids will cry. "Daddy, we can't move, I just made the Little League team." Why put up with the hassle when your present job isn't so bad? Forget the promotion. When you look at people who give up or stop trying or never try at all, they may have very legitimate reasons for not seeking a promotion, not starting a business or not losing twenty pounds. Who is to say? Why do you want to leave your comfort zone and put yourself in the path of pain, deprivation and possible ridicule? Why do you only think about yourself? What about what your spouse and kids want? Because, there may not be any other way to get to where you want to go. Don't start the diet. Don't start your own business. Don't ask for the promotion. Do nothing and you can't fail. You must play the Devil's Advocate with yourself. You must test and question your own commitment. With a lot of time and money at risk, once you begin, your commitment must be 100%. Who owns the skyscrapers? Whose pictures hang in the museums? Who lives in that beautiful mansion on the ocean? Who will make a zillion dollars figuring out e-commerce? Maybe you've got to stop the bus and get off? Maybe you've got to turn off the slicing machine and walk out the front door? Don't look back. Look forward. Characteristics of an EntrepreneurHas a lot of energy. An entrepreneur is someone who seems to find the time for work and research and sports and hobbies and family and even to volunteer for worthwhile causes. They are spirited. If a particular job takes twenty hours, they work twenty hours. Remember the old saying, "If you want something done, ask a busy person." Enjoys trying new activities. Entrepreneurs constantly look for ways to improve their businesses. These are people for whom today isn't simply a day old version of yesterday. Rather, they have to-do plans for every day. Every day is special. The entrepreneur is someone who couldn't stand a do- nothing boring job. Likes to work with people. If you want to make money, someone has to give you that money. To give you their money, people have to like you. The best way to get people to like you is to like them first. The typical entrepreneur is a "people person" who is always ready with a warm handshake and a smile. Entrepreneurs believe, "Love your customers, they have the money!" Is not easily discouraged. The entrepreneur is someone who realizes that success requires hard work. If success were easy, everyone would be financially successful. They aren't. At times, they may do a lot of work for results which amount to little or nothing. They may hear a lot of "Nos." They may hear a few rude rejections. The entrepreneur marches on. They remember the mantra of many salespeople. "Some will. Some won't. So what. Next." Is well organized. They have an action plan for every day. They make lists. They are on a mission. They know where they are going. Entrepreneurs are people who take pride in their appearance and take care of their possessions. Simply, they look successful. They exude confidence and success. Likes to take charge. Entrepreneurs will show initiative and motivate others to get a job done. They know where they are going and how to get there. If they are wrong and make a mistake, they admit the error and try again and again until they get where they are going. Romano's Homestyle Pizza
Kevin Romano is 27 and has worked in a large discount department store since graduating from high school. In those nine years, he has risen to become assistant manager of the hardware department. He makes $700 a week and takes home about $485 after deductions. Kevin shares a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate. He goes out two or three nights a week. Kevin lives well enough for an average Gen Xer.Kevin's life is average. BUT, Kevin hates average. But, for some time, Kevin has had this gnawing feeling that he is going nowhere fast. It isn't difficult for Kevin to predict his own future. There are plenty of role models at the store - clones of himself only 10, 20, or 30 years older. He can see another 35 years doing just what he's doing now. "Miss, please ask your son to be careful around that table saw!" "I'm sorry but I don't know if someone named Philip invented the Phillips head screwdriver." "Yes, we really do have 16 different shades of off-white paint." "I'm not arguing, Sir, I believe you. If you wanted to drive 31 miles down Route 9, you might find a similar ladder for $6 less at Home Depot." The big earners at Kevin's store make about $850 a week including overtime, commissions, bonuses, and take home around $615. On average, each of Kevin's co-workers has a working spouse who will bring in another $400 a week. From these joint paychecks, these couples have to make and adhere to a family budget. Out of the budget comes the cost of raising the kids, the mortgage, two car payments, food, clothing, entertainment and much, much, much more - bills, bills, bills, bills. Do average people have anything left over for investing? Are you kidding? The financial ends just barely meet. Fortunately for Kevin, he can see all of this. Where is the pillow? He wants to scream. Kevin can see that doing a good job at the store will yield modest raises and modest promotions over the next 30 to 40 years. Of course, the smooth path of Kevin's ordinary life presumes that over the course of the next 40 years, he doesn't make any of the local bosses angry, or that the big bosses don't decide that the way to increase shareholder value is to downsize the company. Kevin knows that he hasn't gone so far down into the middle class corporate rut that he can't see a world beyond the front doors of the department store.
There is a world beyond those doors filled with extraordinary possibilities offering extraordinary rewards. A lot of people will say they want what Kevin wants. To them, it will be lip service. If only... But, Kevin is different. Kevin is going to do something about his future. Kevin Chooses a BusinessAs you follow Kevin's story through the next several lessons, you will see his situation progress from selling pizza - a way to make a living - to selling pizza shops - a way to get rich, - to franchising pizza shops - a way to make a fortune. Lesson Three ResourcesGo to Lesson Four1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6Index
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