01/08/2017
You’ve got to walk before you can run Entrepreneurs
A true Entrepreneur is willing to make short-term sacrifices to gain long-term success, which is the basis of delay gratification. We have all heard the saying “Rome was not built in a day”. Now the saying I use whenever I find myself feeling overwhelmed by how much I have to learn about Entrepreneurship is, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer is, “One bite at a time”. So instead of taking mouthful bites forward, we strongly recommend taking it one bite at a time on your way to success as an Entrepreneur. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a baby step, as simple as that.
We emphasize this because we have seen too many Entrepreneurs attempt to take a great leap forward instead of starting with baby steps. Long-term financial success is not measured by how big your stride is, but by the number of steps, the number of years, and the direction in which you’re moving. That is the formula for success or failure in any endeavor. It’s like taking people who are completely out of shape and suddenly decide to lose 10kg. They begin a crash diet, go to the gym for two hours, and then jog 5km. This lasts may be a week or two. They lose a few kg, and then the pain, boredom, and hunger begin to wear away at their will power and determination. By the third week, their old habits of overeating, avoiding exercise, and watching television are back in control. The same goes for Entrepreneurship, we have seen too many Entrepreneurs, myself included, attempt to do too much with too little, and then crash and burn.
Entrepreneurs please be kind to yourself and realize that the transition is more than just a mental one. It involves emotional learning. After you take baby steps, you’re ready to move to walking, and then to running. You’ve got to walk before you can run. This is the path we recommend. If you don’t like this path, then you can do what millions of other people do who want to get rich quickly the fast and easy way, which is to buy a lottery ticket. Who knows? It might be your lucky day. The way we learn is by making mistakes. We learned to walk and ride a bicycle by falling down and then getting back up. People who are afraid of taking action, out of fear of making mistakes, may be mentally smart, but they are also emotionally and physically handicapped. In other words, too many people are fixated upon the get rich quick philosophy of life. I wish these people luck. They’re going to need it.
While it is great to have big long-term dreams and wishes Entrepreneurs, attaining those dreams is a process made up of many small steps. Instead of trying to be an overachiever, be an underachiever. Be content with small steps, because each one moves you closer to your big goals and dreams. Even today, I find I achiever more by having an underachiever mindset instead of trying to kill myself and be that overachiever. So Entrepreneurs dream big daring dreams, and then underachieve a little bit each day. At its core.
