To this day, I still carry my old business card in my wallet.
The summer of 1998 was life altering. I was entering 7th grade in a small school on the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation. And while other kids my age were out being kids, I was doing something drastically different.
At the tender age of 12, I was building a business – a technology-handyman business to be exact.
What I had discovered was that the surrounding area was predominately home for retirement age folks all in need of a little technology help. And I had an unwavering drive to become their solution. So with some initial referral help from my teachers and parents’ friends, I came in to gobble up market-share. Since this was pre-Geek Squad days, business was-a-booming!
Here I was, a middle-school kid garnishing upwards of a couple hundred bucks an hour for things I enjoyed so much I would have done for free…
And the following 6 years would prove to be a huge learning lesson in business, money management, marketing and living an a-typical life.
How I Did It (and How the Concepts Still Apply)
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Most people are not happy with their life. Yet they continually venture down the same road of unhappiness. Never willing to change. As you take a birds eye view of your current lifestyle, do you like what you see? Are your relationships, career choices, financial situation and other aspects of your life truly satisfying? Or do you feel there should be more?
While most of us have moments of joy, they are usually overshadowed by hours, days and even years of affliction. Stress, depression, heartache and overall anxiety are human nature. But it doesn’t have to be the case for you. You deserve to have the best life possible.
The good news? Change is also a part of human nature. In fact, I believe there is an unwritten rule of life stating that the only constant is change. Put in other words, nothing will ever stay the same. This is a huge concept. The reason this is significant for you? Your life is going to change. But it is completely up to you which direction you will take your life when these inevitable changes approach. Will you choose to stay on your current melancholy life direction? Or will you rise up and pursue a life of fulfillment and happiness? The ball is in your court.
Below are the specific steps every person needs to explore, embrace and ultimately take action on before life-altering change can truly occur:
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I came to a huge self-actualization this past month. It resulted from a temporary setback to the expansion plans for one of my businesses. The result? More motivation with a stronger drive to succeed. And now a banker to prove wrong.
The Story
One of my companies needs four new employees. And although I have great credentials with a substantial accounts receivable ledger, my business was turned down for a line of credit. The decision came from a commercial banker I have known very well – since I had my first business at 16 years of age. Anyway, this so-called go-to bank for SBA lending decided that creating more jobs wasn’t in the playing cards for me. Based on the denial phone call, I feel the decision came from incompetence of the banker rather than any analytical rational. Needless to say, I was not happy. And while I know I can simply move onto the next bank, it triggered something inside me that was unfamiliar: fear.
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Have you started a business that failed? Invested in a system that fell flat? Invented something that didn’t sell? However, did you follow that failure with a huge success? And if so, what kept you going?
When venturing into the world of entrepreneurship, everyone will face obstacles along the way. It’s pretty much a guarantee. The defining characteristic of successful entrepreneurs, though, is their enormous level of positive thought. With the power of optimism, these downfalls turn into positives. For example:
Imagine an all too familiar event for a budding entrepreneur… The company just lost a big account to a competitor.
The pessimist would look at the scenario and say, “this is why I will never succeed, I can’t compete and I must not be that great.”
The optimist, on the other hand, would look at the situation and say, “well I lost that account but I had the account for 2 years. What did I do right? How can I repeat what I did and replace that account with 5 more?”
See the difference? It’s all in your frame of view and how you spin outcomes.
Positivity and Productivity
Optimistic people work harder. It’s true. In fact, research studies have proven that pessimism severely hinders a person’s ability to engage in life-improving acts. To a successful entrepreneur, this should be obvious. [click to continue…]
