The truth is, I think there’s an enormous entitlement mentality in Australia right now.
Where people think things should be handed to them easily, and it’s been driven by this access to information that’s been unprecedented. It’s at a level where you can pick up your phone and you can get access to anything within a click of the finger.
And unfortunately, people go, “If I can get access to information quickly, surely I should be able to get access to results this quickly”. And that’s just not how it works.
Here’s the truth, if you’re only looking six to 12 months in the future in terms of your bigger plans, you will have a constant stream of reasons to be stressed, because you’ll never be moving fast enough as what you want to, and you’ll be constantly beating yourself up for not being where you should be, where you thought you would be based on where you are right now.
Whereas if you maintain a long term perspective and you go, “You know what, I understand this is at least going to be a 10 year journey and if I commit to the 10 year journey, I can fuck it up every day for the first three years, and at the end of the three years go, it’s okay, I’ve still got seven years to go”.
The truth is, business is hard.
The challenge isn’t your skills and your talents. You can learn what you need to know. The challenge is the timing in which you believe you can do things in.
Which then invites the question, “Well if I need to commit myself to 10 years, what should I be doing?”
Something you love. Because if you’re not doing something you love and you have to do it for 10 years, that would be the equivalent of what I would call a fucking nightmare.
That is why the rate of suicide and the rate of mental illness in entrepreneurs is at record levels because we as entrepreneurs, as a community, haven’t been made aware of the importance of maintaining a proper perspective and we’ve bought into all this Silicone Valley bullshit that you can build a billion dollars in 18 months like Instagram did.
What they didn’t tell you about Instagram is the guy that had been developing the idea for Instagram, for 12 years before he launched the business, which 18 months later was then bought by Facebook for a billion dollars. But that doesn’t sell as many newspapers.
Please understand, I’m not a motivational speaker, I do not see myself as a motivational speaker. I see myself as someone who has a duty of care as an educator in the business space to share the message of truth.
I see myself as an educator in the business space who has a duty to speak the truth.
Which is, business is not as easy as we thought it was going to be. Business is fucking hard and it does require discipline. However, if you’re still willing to do business based on understanding those three things and you’re willing to open yourself up to education and information and advice, then it can be done a lot faster and a lot easier with a lot more enjoyment than you think. As long as you have the right perspective.
The truth – business is hard.
Spread the word.
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Hi Kerwin
There are tens of millions of people out there who will never be an entrepreneur in the purist sense of running their own business … most of us have to work for others.
So how do those of us who do not have very much control implement your ideas?
For instance, it seems rare in many businesses to have a boss that is truely open to any of the principles that you mention … and in fact many are truely incompetent.
So how can people in these circumstances achieve genuine and principled value for customers … and in fact THRIVE … all without leaving their current job?
Great question mate. A lot of what I talk about is mindset as a business owner and it applies to everybody. You need to work on yourself before you work on your business, your career, your relationships, etc. This work starts within and that means that when you start making those changes, you’re demonstrating what you want to see in others in yourself first. And by leading the example, others will naturally be inspired and want to follow you. Sometimes it will be harder for others to want change, but just keep setting that example and focus on within, find those who align with you because if you’re unhappy where you are, theres a problem. It’s a journey, you’re not stuck where you are unless you let yourself be.