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If you could only pass on one life lesson to everyone on this forum, what would it be?

farmer79

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Saskatchewan diesel at 2.059 per litre and 1.78 for gas. Never seen anything like this.

Last fall when we were spraying we robbed one of our water pumps of parts to fix another. Employee went to get parts today so it would be ready for spring. Couldn’t find the parts anywhere so ended up buying a $1500 pump and we’ll worry about fixing the scavenged one when we can get the parts.
 
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Singularity73

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I'm wondering how did you get yourself to do that? Was it something that naturally came or a moment of realization?
It's not easy, I don't always succeed. One thing that has helped though is to set quotas and create rules for yourself. I have a quota to do 10 pomodoros per day. If there is a clear rule that you cannot break (otherwise you lose trust in yourself) then you will do the work irrespective of whether you feel motivated.
 

Metz

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Get out of your own head and just do the thing.

Also, the judgment you're worried about is more than likely you judging yourself. Everyone else is so absorbed in their life that they probably don't think about you at all.
 

LiveEntrepreneur

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It's not easy, I don't always succeed. One thing that has helped though is to set quotas and create rules for yourself. I have a quota to do 10 pomodoros per day. If there is a clear rule that you cannot break (otherwise you lose trust in yourself) then you will do the work irrespective of whether you feel motivated.
The project or business that you're working on. Did you not like it from the start or did you like it and had motivation but it died off after the hard work kicked in?
 
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Singularity73

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The project or business that you're working on. Did you not like it from the start or did you like it and had motivation but it died off after the hard work kicked in?
I liked it at the start, it's always exciting starting something new. But then motivation comes and goes in phases, I think it's highest when you're getting a lot of customer feedback and have momentum.
 

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just found this - aweseom thread! my 5 Cts:

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LiveEntrepreneur

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I liked it at the start, it's always exciting starting something new. But then motivation comes and goes in phases, I think it's highest when you're getting a lot of customer feedback and have momentum.
Interesting. So let's pretend you are 6 months into your project, does every day or every other day feel like a drag where you have low energy and feel tired because you don't want to do the work?

In my experience, every single day is a drag to get through and I'm constantly battling with my self to get stuff done, and I'll randomly have a day when I'm motivated every now and again but it's random as hell. I think it was a combination of a lack of grit, not interested in my projects, not having a purpose, etc.

The reason I'm asking you this question is because I'm trying to find someone who I can relate to, so I can see if others are having the same struggle. If I can't find someone with the same struggle I tend to question whether I'm thinking correctly and if I even know what I'm doing in the first place. It gives me certainty which is something I think I subconsciously look for which is silly considering I'm in the business game lol.

I've taken a break from business in general, I need to get out and clear my head, looking to possibly pivot and potentially even change careers.
 

Singularity73

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Interesting. So let's pretend you are 6 months into your project, does every day or every other day feel like a drag where you have low energy and feel tired because you don't want to do the work?

In my experience, every single day is a drag to get through and I'm constantly battling with my self to get stuff done, and I'll randomly have a day when I'm motivated every now and again but it's random as hell. I think it was a combination of a lack of grit, not interested in my projects, not having a purpose, etc.

The reason I'm asking you this question is because I'm trying to find someone who I can relate to, so I can see if others are having the same struggle. If I can't find someone with the same struggle I tend to question whether I'm thinking correctly and if I even know what I'm doing in the first place. It gives me certainty which is something I think I subconsciously look for which is silly considering I'm in the business game lol.

I've taken a break from business in general, I need to get out and clear my head, looking to possibly pivot and potentially even change careers.
For sure, you might be going through the desert of desertion. Probably the best way to stay motivated at that point is connecting with your vision every day, as a reminder of why you're doing this. Also having conviction in your idea. I don't know what the project is, but I think if you can get a feedback loop going then that can spark motivation and get momentum rolling.

As for me, I have been struggling the last few months since I went back to university to finish my degree and my business has taken a slog, I don't really feel motivated at all to work on it. I think it helps if you have a solid plan that you're following, something you're working towards. Right now my business is going to shit because I'm at a stage where I just don't really know what to do with it (no plan), so I don't have momentum and therefore not motivated to work on it. The feedback loop is non existent. It's basically running on autopilot, but it only makes a little money.

At the moment I'm trying to gain clarity by reading more books, but because of uni it's easy to lose focus.
 

LiveEntrepreneur

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For sure, you might be going through the desert of desertion. Probably the best way to stay motivated at that point is connecting with your vision every day, as a reminder of why you're doing this. Also having conviction in your idea. I don't know what the project is, but I think if you can get a feedback loop going then that can spark motivation and get momentum rolling.

As for me, I have been struggling the last few months since I went back to university to finish my degree and my business has taken a slog, I don't really feel motivated at all to work on it. I think it helps if you have a solid plan that you're following, something you're working towards. Right now my business is going to shit because I'm at a stage where I just don't really know what to do with it (no plan), so I don't have momentum and therefore not motivated to work on it. The feedback loop is non existent. It's basically running on autopilot, but it only makes a little money.

At the moment I'm trying to gain clarity by reading more books, but because of uni it's easy to lose focus.
Ah interesting, thanks for your replies so far. I never really had a vision of any business really. It's not like for example where someone who is running a marketing agency wants to be the best marketing agency and is motivated by that. You said you're not sure what to do with it, I was curious what were your reasons for starting your business?
 
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Singularity73

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Ah interesting, thanks for your replies so far. I never really had a vision of any business really. It's not like for example where someone who is running a marketing agency wants to be the best marketing agency and is motivated by that. You said you're not sure what to do with it, I was curious what were your reasons for starting your business?
It was an "accidental" business as it was originally a coursework project that just happened to gain traction so I kept working on it and eventually monetised it.
 

Equilibrium

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Nobody has any idea what they are doing.
It's not a social norm to accept or understand this, and it will go against everything you will learn both in the Fastlane pursuit and the slow lane mindset. But from the lowest class struggling to survive to the shadowy Bill Cipher of the Illuminati, at the end of the day, everyone doubts themselves.
 

The WolfPreneur

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I thought this might make for an interesting thread, in the vein of some other very valuable "lessons learned" threads we've seen here down through the years.

No two people on this forum have lived their lives in precisely the same way.
Sure, some of us have a lot more experience than others (at 21, I'm younger than a lot of you reading this), but I believe that everyone has a message to share - they just need a platform...

So, here's your platform.

I'll kick things off.

If I could only pass on one lesson to you, it'd be this:

You are not your thoughts.

Trite? Perhaps.

But powerful? Definitely.

One of the principal benefits you get from meditating is learning to exist in the space between stimulus and response. Between the impulse and action, you have a chance to observe what's happening and make an informed decision, rather than reacting in a knee-jerk fashion.

In business, we see people holding themselves back from ever even trying because they think that they're not good enough, that they're a failure, that they need to read these 16 books and listen to those 27 podcasts and subscribe to all those email lists first...

But these thoughts are just that.
Thoughts.
Nothing more than a cloud drifting across the sky of your conscious awareness. They are not who you are... unless you reach out, cling to them, and make them part of your identity.

Why do I know this?

(Warning - possible overshare incoming)

Back in late 2017, not for the first time in my life, I went through a bad mental health spell. Compulsive thoughts were nagging, nagging, nagging away at me. Without getting too detailed (that's not what this post is about), I was constantly fighting the urge to hurt myself physically... and worse.

At my lowest, I was having these thoughts 50-60 times a day, and I didn't really know what to do about it. Counselling was an idea, but I ended up on a two-week waiting list once they felt I wasn't an immediate risk.

By the time I got a call to say an appointment was available, the worst had passed, and I was on the way back up again... but I knew I had to be better prepared the next time around. For my own sake.

Weeks went by, and I reflected on the questions I'd been left with:
How can I overcome this challenge?
How can I ensure that I don't suffer from one of these bad spells again?
How do I know it won't be worse next time?

Journaling. Reading. Talking to people (professionals and otherwise). All played a part, and all helped to a degree...

But what helped me most was reflecting back on my experience during that bad spell, as painful as it was. In seeing how I had kept going then, I could learn to do so again in the future.

And there, in the midst of all that I wished to forget, I found the one truth that could save me.

I was not my thoughts.

Every impulse, every nagging image, every compulsive desire that rose up in me was not who I was.

This isn't dissociation. Running away from this kind of problem doesn't help (believe me, I tried).

This is about realizing your thoughts are a stimulus. Your response can be provoked by this stimulus... but only you choose what that response will be.

You can agree (if it serves you), or you can decline (if it doesn't). The choice is yours.

(Note: Please don't take any of this as victim-shaming, or trivialization of serious mental health issues. This is serious business, I understand that. This is just a mental framework that has helped me, among other things.)

I still get these thoughts sometimes (not as often), but they don't have the same power over me that they once did.

When they float up now, I recognize them for what they are - a stimulus, and nothing more.

You are not your thoughts. Thoughts are a stimulus, and your response is your own.

*******

Looking forward to seeing the lessons you all have to share!
Don't care what other people think about you because whenever anyone says something about you, it's about them not about you.

Don't quit right just before you achieve the goal it doesn't matter how uncomfortable it is.

More pain and facing more fear will lead you to success; and More comfort will kill your soul

The thing around you that you call life were made by people who were no smarter than you(I know It's Steve Jobs advice, that's why I love it more). You can change it.

The world is beautiful and full of amazing things
 
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Navkun

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Know what you know. Know what you don't know. Be confident in the former and have perspicacity in the latter.
 

Bing

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Too many good ones to say "this is it", but one of my favorites:

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt

The real value was when I realized "inferior" could be replaced with literally any other emotion.
 
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watchopt

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You are life. Not this body. Go get experiences
 

MJ DeMarco

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Your youthful time depreciates like an automobile. Ten years of freedom at 30 is not the same as ten years of freedom at 60.
 

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