Do you have any "Skin in The Game?"
What is the number one reason why we become professionals or join corporate America? For most its because we bought into the American dream hustle and want our piece. I personally believe there is a form of American Dream, just not the one we've been fed. Which brings me to the reason for this write up. We have this image of ourselves being successful and having all the trappings of success however very seldom do our actions line up with our goals. We want things quick and we want them to come easy and we don't want to humble ourselves to ask for help if needed or just don't have the courage to ask for help. All are crippling behaviors that are rampant in the business world.
The first thing that needs to be realized is the realization of yourself. Why are you doing what you're doing? Why are you in the industry? Do you have something to prove to a parent, an ex, to yourself? Are you here because someone told you this is the only way to be happy? Or maybe you have no idea what happiness or success even looks like to you so you just rather be doing something than nothing. Without knowing why you are here you'll never understand what you actually want out of life. That's just the first part. The second part comes once you identify what you want out of life and select a channel to achieve it through. Its going to take work, lots of it. Yeah I know, I know, you heard that before a million times but has it really ever been explained to you? What is hard work really?
Well its all relative. Hard work depends on so many factors that you can actually out it in a box and label it and say "ok If I do cuz, then thats hard work". Contrary to the latter hard work isn't solely based on how much physical time or effort you exert alone, its more based on how you exert it in ratio to the outcomes produced. I could hand write 5,000 letters to prospect leads and spend an entire week doing so for hours a day. Or I could type that letter up once on my computer and print it out 5,000 times in 10 minutes. Its undeniable that if I wrote them by hand it would require a lot of hard work, however that hard work would take up so much of my time that could've been used doing other things while the guy that prints out the 5,000 letters can focus on exerting his efforts in other areas that compliment the lead letters. Make sense? Probably not and thats your first problem but lets carry on.
Number one stop thinking there is a shortcut around putting in real time to discover what "hard work" pays and what "hard work" wastes your time. There is difference. If you're not where you want to be its because you either aren't being creative enough to find out what actually works and having the courage to switch up and try something new, or you're falling in love with the way "its always been done" and its not working for you. In any instance you're not "working hard" enough (and you know it), you don't know what you're doing (and you know it), or you are not totally in love with what your'e doing therefore your heart is not in it (and you know that too)!
The next things I say may rub you the wrong way and I don't care. Its not my job to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside its my job to call you on your BS and bring you down to earth so that you can excel. You're going to have to stop wanting things for free. Thats your problem. YOU ARE SELFISH! You want everyone to help you, coach you, sacrifice their time for you, but you don't want to make it worth their while. You don't want to make yourself attractive for any real genuine guidance. This could be because of a number of reasons but the fact remains is that you don't want to give anything in return for what you want (or at least most of you don't). Ask yourself a question, why would any successful person take time out of their schedule, family life, etc. to help you somebody that they don't know from adam. How could they do that for5, 10, or 15 people. Believe that you are not the only one wanting their time, there are others. So why would they chose you? What do you have to offer them that it is a good use of time for them to spend it helping you. in the real world everything is done by the barter system. You have to give to get. That could be money, it could be time, it could be connections, etc.
You probably went to college and racked up thousands of dollars in student loan debt for a degree that hasn't made you anything significant. Getting into $50k debt for a degree that pays $35k doesn't make any sense to me however you still paid for college. You pay for vacations, you pay for cars and material things that are the worst kinds of liabilities that only decrease your networth. Only in the last 20 years has it been common for people to have negative networths, meaning they owe more than the total some of assets owned. You pay for everything that holds you back but you don't pay for someone to help move you forward and make more money? Crazy thing this world has come to.
Michael Jordan, Lebron James, and Kobe Bryant are arguably the best athletes to ever roam the earth. They all have been at the top of their game while they were active. Did yo know that they all had or have personal trainers? Yes they have people that coach or coached them even when they were the best. Even when there was nobody alive who was better than them they still had coaches and trainers who provide guidance. This is because sports, just like business always changes. There are little things here and there that can help or hurt you and its good to have somene who is a third eye for you be able to point these things out so you can adjust your game when needed. Its not just how you grow, its how you survive long term. Business is no different and is just like a muscle. Just because you have them now doesn't mean they will stay. You will need to continually work them out, exercise them, and build them up in order for them to stay.
In the last five years it has been easier to make $100,000 in yearly income than in any other time period that man has walked this earth. The invention of the internet 30 years ago open everyone with a connection to a global economy. You should already know this. In a world where teens are making $100,000/year while still in high school selling things on Amazon, shopify and eBay using sites like Alibaba to drop ship and your a Real Estate Agent and can't make $15,000 then its time to take a look at what you're doing with your life. In Real Estate making $100,000 is a very below average income thats can be achieved sitting on your ass being a substandard producer. So ask yourself did you make $100k in 2016? I know I did and Im not saying that to brag Im saying that to say that we must hold ourselves accountable if we are ever going to have the audacity to call ourselves business owners. Stop thinking that someone is going to come along and save you. You didn't earn that kind of goodwill, you don't deserve that yet, you don't get that for free just because you are a good person. In order to win the game you have to have skin in the game. Its up to you to figure out what that means for your situation.
-Tosin Oduwole
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