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I'm no different..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What's up folks? I really feel like it’s been a while since I provided some long-lasting, sustainable value around here, mostly because I’ve been focusing on my current endeavor. And in thinking to myself, “Self: what kind of value could you provide to the community?,” it occurred to me that I’ve got lots of life experience that’s likely to be of use to some folks here, so why not share?
Disclaimer: I’m not a guru. I’m not selling anything. I am not perfect or infallible. I have been wrong. I have FAILED, OVER and OVER.
More disclaimers: I am, however, widely read, successful in my field(s) outside of business, have F**D up enough to know what NOT to do, and I really, truly believe that GREATNESS lies within EACH & EVERY ONE OF US. Yes! It does! We just have to believe, in ourselves and each other! Also, any medical thoughts posted here are just that, thoughts. They're not medical opinions or advice, so don't take it that way.
Anyway, pull up a chair. Stay awhile. I’m here to drop some knowledge bombs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So I'll start off, just so no one thinks that I'm Mister Hot Stuff.
MISTAKES THAT I’VE MADE IN LIFE (not at all comprehensive)
Why do I share all of this? Because in EACH CASE where I was successful, I succeeded by overcoming the PERCEIVED LIMITS. Limits imposed by others or by myself. And dudes...I grew up so very poor/lower middle class that it’s hysterical. I HATE it when I hear others (or myself) whine about some goal being ‘too difficult.’
Hell, our very own @Vigilante kicked my a$$ about three weeks ago. It was very, very painful to receive...but I wouldn’t take that a$$ kicking back if you paid me $100,000 right now.
So anyway….
.
.
.
LIMITS and SUCCESS
Look here, mate: None of us are perfect and ALL of us have unspoken fears, desires, and self-imposed limitations. Some of those fears and limitations are consciously imposed, while others are more subtle. A good friend of mine and a fellow entrepreneur pointed me to the latest Ryan Moran (Freedom Fastlane) podcast, where he asks, "Are YOU Thinking Big Enough?" today.
Whoops! I thought that I had been Thinking Big Enough, but it turns out that I hadn't been. Listening to that podcast this morning was a huge wake up call. I've been thinking too small. Smallish goals, not the massive INSANE success that I REALLY wanted. I've been struggling with doubt, fear, and complacency.
Which got me to thinking...what are EACH of us doing, EVERY DAY to push ourselves beyond our limits?
* Who are your friends? Who are the Five People that you spend most every day with?
* What kind of information do you allow into your life?
* What do you say about yourself to others?
THE WORDS THAT YOU USE TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF WILL END UP DEFINING YOU.
It’s true: I recently had a complete mindset change in this area.
For a long time, even after coming onto this forum, even after starting and exiting from a software business, and EVEN AFTER STARTING my latest venture, when someone asked what I did for a living, I said “I’m a physician.”
Think about that. When I’m not working I told everyone and even myself (subconsciously) that I was a physician, which meant that entrepreneurship wasn’t truly integral to my identity. Yet after the a$$ chewing noted above, I switched to telling everyone, “I’m an entrepreneur.” Less sexy, but more fundamentally reflective of who I am. And the difference in my productivity has been massive.
So, I ask you: What do you tell yourself? What face do you present to the world?
* Last thing: Get yourself a Mastermind.
Small group, no more than 3-5 to start. Stock it with people who aren’t afraid to call you on your weaknesses, but who also carry a heart filled with service. Service to you, to others and to their customers. It’d be nice if they were more successful than you, but at this point it’s more important to have folks who can push you, provide lots of value, and for whom you can do the same.
Alright, enough for now. More to come. Hope that it’s helpful to some, and if I come off as a chode, please lemme know.
Cheers!
PS: I thought of a couple of other things:
Do you think Cyrus the Great, Alexander the Great, Caesar, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk ever went at anything in a half-hearted manner? F*** No. So why are you? Why am I? Food for thought.
I LEARNED A TON (yes, the doc learned something). @csalvato
Whether it's a positive or negative lesson, everyone has something to teach you. Every single patient encounter has either taught me about disease, patients, or very often, about my own beliefs, blind spots, and arrogance.
None of us are immortal, though of course I thought so before medical school. So...what are you waiting for?
...you may suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It's a silent, but deadly condition with A Simple, Effective Cure! Consider getting checked out.
What's up folks? I really feel like it’s been a while since I provided some long-lasting, sustainable value around here, mostly because I’ve been focusing on my current endeavor. And in thinking to myself, “Self: what kind of value could you provide to the community?,” it occurred to me that I’ve got lots of life experience that’s likely to be of use to some folks here, so why not share?
Disclaimer: I’m not a guru. I’m not selling anything. I am not perfect or infallible. I have been wrong. I have FAILED, OVER and OVER.
More disclaimers: I am, however, widely read, successful in my field(s) outside of business, have F**D up enough to know what NOT to do, and I really, truly believe that GREATNESS lies within EACH & EVERY ONE OF US. Yes! It does! We just have to believe, in ourselves and each other! Also, any medical thoughts posted here are just that, thoughts. They're not medical opinions or advice, so don't take it that way.
Anyway, pull up a chair. Stay awhile. I’m here to drop some knowledge bombs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So I'll start off, just so no one thinks that I'm Mister Hot Stuff.
MISTAKES THAT I’VE MADE IN LIFE (not at all comprehensive)
- Gave up a full ride scholarship to Harvey Mudd in order to ‘Find Myself”
- Graduated High School believing that I wasn’t smart enough, or fit enough to be anything in life.
- Listened to negative people who said, “You’ll never be a scientist.” -Wrong.
- Listened to negative people who said, “You’ll never be a doctor.” -Wrong.
- Believing that I would never be a GREAT ER doctor (self doubt) -Wrong.
- Believing that Women were From Another Planet, and thus unknowable. - TOTALLY WRONG
- Believing that I could never run a sub 6 min mile - WRONG
- Believing that women were in any way inferior to men. - TOTALLY WRONG
- Believed that I had to have a miserable JOB after residency that crushed my soul, because “Doctor, that’s just the way that it is. You’ll never find anything better.” - TOTALLY WRONG.
- Believing that I could never conquer the Marine Corps Obstacle Course - TOTALLY WRONG
- Married a beautiful lady who’s the mother of my three children, and who’s totally smarter and tougher than I am.
- Served 5+ years in the Marine Corps.
- Successfully completed a Master of Science in Developmental Genetics, and have had papers published, and learned how to be a really solid scientist. This despite thinking to myself, “Are you crazy? You? A geneticist? Get out!”
- Made it into medical school despite being rejected THREE times
- Placed into a top tier residency after med school despite average grades. Why? Because I worked my a$$ off to be a great med student by providing TONS OF VALUE to any program that I worked with.
- Became a kickass Emergency Physician
- Left the crap job after residency for the best job in any place, that I’ve ever had (thanks to MJ and the book for this inspiration)
- Have had one successful (software) business experience (with a profitable exit!),
- Helped another family member’s business grow and succeed.
- Am having fun doing something that is WAY out of my comfort zone or previous life experience. Hell, it may even become profitable.
Why do I share all of this? Because in EACH CASE where I was successful, I succeeded by overcoming the PERCEIVED LIMITS. Limits imposed by others or by myself. And dudes...I grew up so very poor/lower middle class that it’s hysterical. I HATE it when I hear others (or myself) whine about some goal being ‘too difficult.’
Hell, our very own @Vigilante kicked my a$$ about three weeks ago. It was very, very painful to receive...but I wouldn’t take that a$$ kicking back if you paid me $100,000 right now.
So anyway….
.
.
.
LIMITS and SUCCESS
Look here, mate: None of us are perfect and ALL of us have unspoken fears, desires, and self-imposed limitations. Some of those fears and limitations are consciously imposed, while others are more subtle. A good friend of mine and a fellow entrepreneur pointed me to the latest Ryan Moran (Freedom Fastlane) podcast, where he asks, "Are YOU Thinking Big Enough?" today.
Whoops! I thought that I had been Thinking Big Enough, but it turns out that I hadn't been. Listening to that podcast this morning was a huge wake up call. I've been thinking too small. Smallish goals, not the massive INSANE success that I REALLY wanted. I've been struggling with doubt, fear, and complacency.
Which got me to thinking...what are EACH of us doing, EVERY DAY to push ourselves beyond our limits?
* Who are your friends? Who are the Five People that you spend most every day with?
* What kind of information do you allow into your life?
- Nightly news? Internet news sites? The Atlantic/Slate/Fox News/Etc?
- Reddit?
- Playing video games?
- How about kick a$$ business or mindset books?
- Are you watching videos or researching your competitors?
- Are you reading the MASSIVELY VALUABLE Gold Threads? No? Go to https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/ and click on “GOLD Threads” and prepare to have your mind blown.
* What do you say about yourself to others?
THE WORDS THAT YOU USE TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF WILL END UP DEFINING YOU.
It’s true: I recently had a complete mindset change in this area.
For a long time, even after coming onto this forum, even after starting and exiting from a software business, and EVEN AFTER STARTING my latest venture, when someone asked what I did for a living, I said “I’m a physician.”
Think about that. When I’m not working I told everyone and even myself (subconsciously) that I was a physician, which meant that entrepreneurship wasn’t truly integral to my identity. Yet after the a$$ chewing noted above, I switched to telling everyone, “I’m an entrepreneur.” Less sexy, but more fundamentally reflective of who I am. And the difference in my productivity has been massive.
So, I ask you: What do you tell yourself? What face do you present to the world?
* Last thing: Get yourself a Mastermind.
Small group, no more than 3-5 to start. Stock it with people who aren’t afraid to call you on your weaknesses, but who also carry a heart filled with service. Service to you, to others and to their customers. It’d be nice if they were more successful than you, but at this point it’s more important to have folks who can push you, provide lots of value, and for whom you can do the same.
Alright, enough for now. More to come. Hope that it’s helpful to some, and if I come off as a chode, please lemme know.
Cheers!
PS: I thought of a couple of other things:
Do you think Cyrus the Great, Alexander the Great, Caesar, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk ever went at anything in a half-hearted manner? F*** No. So why are you? Why am I? Food for thought.
I LEARNED A TON (yes, the doc learned something). @csalvato
Whether it's a positive or negative lesson, everyone has something to teach you. Every single patient encounter has either taught me about disease, patients, or very often, about my own beliefs, blind spots, and arrogance.
None of us are immortal, though of course I thought so before medical school. So...what are you waiting for?
...you may suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It's a silent, but deadly condition with A Simple, Effective Cure! Consider getting checked out.
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