The security of where I'm at right now is a double-edged sword--comfort can kill the hunger.
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Free registration at the forum removes this block.the discomfort of the unknown (starting your own business) is perceived to be greater than the discomfort of the known (working for 'the man') then the known will win out every time.
And as of right now, what is holding me back is not the fear of the business world, or even the fear of failure. No, what I fear the most is myself. The thing I don't even know I don't know. Because It will be these things that I will discover too late that I don't know, when I will hit another wall.
What are your thoughts about this?
So I started a first project and I was so enthusiastic. And then I hit the reality wall...
What was this reality wall?
You could create a lead gen business utilising some of @Andy Black techniques
I just wanted to offer a little encouragement to some of the lurkers here and those, either not yet in a position, or too fearful (for whatever reason) to move forward in their dreams.
For a wantabe entrepreneur this forum is amazing (and for the rest of us too of course). MJ has created something very special here. He is the gardener. He has cleared the land and tilled the soil. Provided safety from pests and shelter from the worst of the elements. He then planted the seed and watched it grow, and grow it has.
There is such a wealth of information in this garden and even more if you are willing to part with a few bucks to gain access to the walled garden called the INSIDERS (and you would be mad to miss out on what is available there).
You are fortunate to have before you EVERYTHING you need to get your business dreams off the ground. Here you are surrounded by entrepreneurs from all walks of life and all stages of success. From new start-ups to seasoned serial entrepreneurs and everything in between. Some start out motivated by money, some from a need to show to others they can be a success but all start from the deep-seated desire to choose their own destiny.
If you too have this desire you owe it to yourself to make a start, for the one thing you cannot buy in this life is its most precious commodity of all - time. Every day that goes by is a day that you will NEVER see again.
You can follow threads here that take you from inception to extraordinary success (and I encourage you to do so) but please don’t live your life through the success of others. Do not allow their success to act as a substitute for your own. See the path they have shared as a trail they have cleared so as to make your entrepreneurial journey easier and quicker. Use their successes as a catalyst to feed your own.
Remember YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE THE TRAILBLAZER. Do not think massive action is always required. If circumstances do not allow (or you do not have the confidence) then start off slow but START.
Immersing yourself in this forum, listening to motivational podcasts, reading self-help books is all well and good but is a total waste of your time and energy unless you TAKE ACTION.
JUST ONE LITTLE STEP – that is all I am asking you to take. One little step each and every day towards your goal. That thing that keeps bringing you here, that small spark of fire you feel in your belly. One little step will move you forward, it will help you gain confidence and momentum. It will show you that the path may wind but when you turn the corner it is still there for you to follow. One little step will help you realise your dreams.
Not sure what that first step should be? ASK for advice. This is not a book, it is a living breathing entity. Ask and, like magic, answers will appear. You don’t have to heed that advice but I encourage you to give it great consideration as there is a lot of hard earned wisdom here. That wisdom was earned with a lot of sweat, time and money and it is yours for the asking FREE. Don’t feel comfortable starting a thread on a public forum? Then reach out to those you admire first with a Private Message, just be respectful of their time. I wish this resource was available when I first started out 20 years ago.
So whatever is holding you back let it go. Remember it’s ok standing on the side-lines as a spectator but it’s much more fun to be on the field playing the game. You owe it to yourself so take off your coat and come join us.
@c.dream87 Here's the translation: wannabe - Dizionario inglese-italiano WordReferenceHello @RazorCut , sorry I do not understand what you mean with wantabe entrepreneur (sorry but I look at the forum with the Italian English translation)
Hello @RazorCut , sorry I do not understand what you mean with wantabe entrepreneur (sorry but I look at the forum with the Italian English translation)
It just go south when each of us discover that the other one has no experience in business. That was so obvious ! I laugh at myself right now when I think about that.
it would not work for me:
1) I am not a sell person, I am more a technical guy. So the lead generation thing is clearly not in my deck of cards.
Sooooo much truth here, from beginning to end. Thank you @RazorCut . Wow.
I nominate this thread for gold status @MJ DeMarco @Andy Black
@RazorCut , do you think that there are other factors beyond the inertia created by the tension of the unknown exceeding the unhappiness with the current reality? I'm thinking of myself in a lot of these, just the things I'm facing and the resistance I'm experiencing. Because I'm a lot like those guys... and I don't want to be... but I feel like there's an immense number of factors opposing my progress forward.
For instance...
Perception. They don't perceive, as you do, that they're all sufficiently qualified to go out on their own, and even MORE qualified than other people who are already making it. This is a mindset issue that they probably need to handle before they will be able to break free.
Risk Tolerance. There's a huge potential upside when you start your own business, but there's a correspondingly huge potential for disaster. It feels risky to break ways with a predictable income and put yourself in a situation where everything's hanging on you to bring home the bacon. People need to feel at least a little bit "safe." And in the absence of safety, survival mode kicks in, your rational decision making ability goes way down, and you'll just cling to what you know.
Taking the first step. You started this thread with the advice to just take action. Take ONE step. Ask questions along the way. Don't be afraid to run into that problem 3 steps later that you don't know how to solve. Wait until you're ACTUALLY there and solve it then. Getting started requires that attitude of being willing to go ahead and take action, even though I don't have the roadmap scripted out for the next 6 months, the next year, the next 5 years, whatever. I have to say NO to perfectionism and not let that paralyze me.
Runway. If I'm barely making it from month to month because I'm deep in debt or barely paying my bills, I won't have the cushion to take that bold, decisive step away from what's comfortable and familiar. So the first problem I may have to solve is building that runway. Or at least... that may be the first problem I think I need to solve. There's a continuum where any given action could be boneheaded stupidity or an easy no-brainer, depending on the circumstances, and It's not easy to see the precise line where you're "good to go."
An action plan. On the flip side of the "get started already" argument, there is the very real need to have some kind of proof of concept before you leave your safety net and go "all in" on a venture. And even if I have massive skill and do world-class work in my field, I still might not have the skillset to go out and acquire customers and systematize my business income. And if I don't take action there, where it matters, I won't get the opportunity to DO the amazing work that I'm capable of. In other words, I need an action plan that makes me confident that I'm going to be able to sell.
Lining up all these things takes a lot of careful thought and preparation... or does it?
When you're doing this for the first time, it seems that progress is waaaay slower than it could be, as you figure every step out, one at a time.
Don't let this happen to you. Don't let the discomfort of the unknown hold you back. Find a way through little by little, step by step.
Should I pursue the other ideas while I am waiting to validate the one I am creating the landing page for? My thought is once I get the validation that it is actually a product I will put my head down and only focus on that one.
The common Garden Snail can travel at a speed of 0.03 mph. At that rate that would make a tortoise seem like a race horse in comparison. Even at that tiny rate of movement it could travel over 63 miles in its short life span if it didn't stop.
Daily action is compounded. It can be a very powerful thing.
Try reading something like The Saboteur Within.
Completely agree Razorcut! After 25 years in the Navy, I knew I wanted to get into business. Serving my country was always my honor and a choice made freely. But I knew it was a temp job and I was excited when the time came for me to join civilian life. Unfortunately, the books I read and counsel I received put me squarely in the slow lane. Yet inside me was a Fastlane driver itching to break out. Frustrated at one job, I got my MBA (classic slow lane) to get hired at another place for more pay. Finally made the break to start out on my own only to fail miserably. Landed back in a job. But the Fastlane keeps calling and I am again preparing my exit strategy. I applaud the many younger people in this forum who putting fear aside to get in the Fastlane. If any of them are reading this post please know that whatever discomfort you feel in the Fastlane is NOTHING compared to the long term, life sucking, drag, of working for someone else.Don't let this happen to you. Don't let the discomfort of the unknown hold you back. Find a way through little by little, step by step.
Don't give the best years of your life to building someone else's dreams. Build your own.
I applaud the many younger people in this forum who putting fear aside to get in the Fastlane. If any of them are reading this post please know that whatever discomfort you feel in the Fastlane is NOTHING compared to the long term, life sucking, drag, of working for someone else.
Can we just upload all of Fastlane like Neo did his martial arts?
I know Kung fu...and Fastlane.
If only it were that easy.
Jim Rohn's mentor once told him "Don't wish it was easier, wish that you were better".
“Don't wish it was easier wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenge wish for more wisdom”
hahaha I want to also learn speed reading if there was an easier way!
@RazorCut ...first off thanks for taking the time to write this thread of encouragement & action steps, and to keep it going.
You have a lovely style of writing, and it makes for easy reading and also a sense of connection with you...that you're rooting for all the people who are trying and cheering us on.
Distraction...that happens to be my middle name! What works for me is very short bursts of focus.
I have found that if I schedule it in after a walk outside then I'm more ready to "settle down" and my mind is quieter. There have been numerous studies showing this correlation of being in nature and lowered stress and that being outside boosts your feelings of happiness & well-being.
Going into a state of concentration after walking then seems like a natural progression for me and not something that I'm punishing my ever active mind with.
Maybe others can see if this may help them too.
I actually often wear those soft earplugs While I’m working and it’s amazing how much more focused I become.Taking one little step regularly moves us towards our goals. The more often we do it the more of a habit it becomes, and the less chance there is of us succumbing to procrastination.
One of the most important aspects in taking one little step is of course in learning to start. However what will help enormously in reducing the time it takes to turn those little steps into success is in our ability to focus. To concentrate on what matters most, to stay with something and see it through until completion.
The problem we face in modern society is that we have become highly skilled in the art of distraction.
Think about that for a moment. To become skilled at anything we need to practice. Whether that is to create muscle memory or cognitive ability, or master something to the point where we can shift it to our subconscious so as to automate it without any conscious effort.
How many hours a day do you practice deep concentration? The art of singular focus on a specific task?
The answer is probably not many and not very often. Now compare that to the constant ongoing practice of distraction. Is it any wonder why we feel so dysfunctional and struggle to move forward?
When your phone stirs from slumber how quickly do you check that notification? When working how often are you disturbed? How often do you check social media? Email? The news? What things during your day take your attention away from the task at hand? What is constantly vying for your attention in your day?
If you give in to these constant impulses to check all these different medias you are practising, and reinforcing, this art of distraction. And I’m willing to bet that most of us are practising this art at least 10 hours a day. Imagine how skilled you could be if you chose a subject and practised it consistently for 10 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now string those weeks together into years and that is how much of a skilled practitioner you are of distraction. Scary isn’t it?
The purpose of this post is just to get you to think over the next 24 hours or so about the constant bombardment of distractions in your life. We have become so accustomed to them that they often happen without our conscious awareness most of the time. So try if you will to become consciously aware. Recognise them for what they are and consider if they are slowing down your entrepreneurial progress.
Several times a day stop and think ‘What am I working on now? Does it have a purpose or is it a distraction?’, ‘Is it taking me towards my goals’ and ‘how can I reduce these daily distractions and improve my focus to allow me to move closer to my goals sooner’.
I've been dwelling on this for days. I'm home now for several weeks working towards launching my next business and I knew it would take a few days to settle in. I'm at the stage where I require a creative flow that needs to last hours at a time to move forward. But I've found it exceedingly difficult to create this sustained focus. I find it fairly easy to prioritise and make a start but then my attention keeps being drawn away and I lose my train of thought.
I knew this would happen and I mentioned it in another thread. But I thought it would take a couple of days at most to overcome. I'm now on day 4 and I've only just had a breakthrough.
I'm sat in a quiet room, in a quiet village with little distractions, and time to focus. My phone is on charge and silent at the other end of the room. Even though it's a very quiet environment I was still finding my mind wandering off plan. I'd be focusing then I'd have this impulse to check a website, or a friends status. See what the latest news was. A random thought would occur to me about something happening in a few days time so I'd impulsively check the weather forecast for that day. It has been driving me nuts.
I have taken to wearing headphones to play background music or focus tracks to aid my concentration (there are loads on YouTube if you find them helpful). However, I've noticed today that I've started to wear the headphones whilst not playing anything at all. They are noise cancelling and I've found that they are having the effect of almost putting me into a state of mental isolation. Like being in a floatation, or isolation tank. Cutting me off from the world and allowing this odd sensation of 'nothingness' to permeate my being. And it's working. Part of this focus that I am now being able to reach is more than likely due to 4 days of incremental improvements due to 10+ hours a day of practice of course. But I will take any artificial help I can find.
Anyway I just wanted to share with you my failings and frustrations of the past few days and also hopefully get you to become more aware of the distractions all around you, and how unknowingly we are practising them to perfection, and not fully appreciating the harm that it is doing to us.
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