”Wouldn’t it be great if we all had a job we loved and not just a job we had to do to pay bills, regardless of pay. Sad fact of the situation is many of us won’t ever get to that point in our lives, we have to put up with what we do and make the best of it..”
Bear with me.
Now, those who are familiar with the Kickzer way, would have guessed those aren’t my words. They are in fact the well meaning but revealing words of a good friend of mine.
Whilst I won’t for a second suggest that you shouldn’t aim to enjoy time spent out of work or time spent in work, the above concerns me. It concerns me because it seems to be such a readily accepted lie.
It suggests that adequacy is normal. It suggests that success is abnormal and worse, the result of luck. It suggests that trading 5 days of labour for 2 days of freedom is OK, as long as you spend some money on holidays and good memories. It suggests that the outcome is predetermined or up to fate or chance.
The fact is that living for the weekend is the single biggest enslaver of mankind! And the Truth is that the reasons that anyone comes up with as justification for this false reality; are merely excuses.
Sounds harsh? Well let’s hear some of the more common reasons why “many of us won’t ever get to that point in our lives”.
I don’t have enough time – Translation: I don’t want to wake up an hour later, work during lunch or stay in when everyone’s going out.
I can’t afford it – Translation: I don’t want to give up my contract phone, newer car, morning coffees or boozy nights!
I have kids – Translation: I don’t have the drive to make myself get up an hour earlier, later and don’t want to take the risk or the extra time to do it with less risk. I don’t want extra stress.
I’m not smart enough. I’m too old – Translation: I don’t want to struggle or fail.
If we start to acknowledge these so called reasons as hurdles with opportunities, the picture begins to transform. This process should form the basis of an honest, open brainstorm blueprint. I use what I call the “START” analysis.
What is STOPPING me?
“I can’t afford it” – The factor that you perceive is currently a roadblock
What is the TARGET which will stop this from blocking me?
“$5,000 to start-up” – This goes into your action / business plan as a pre-requisite
What AM I ABLE to do (what opportunities are there)?
“Cut bills, earn more money on the side, garage sale, pay rise, new job” – You can repeat this analysis against the strongest opportunities that you come up with, to explore their feasibility to assist in picking the strongest few actions.
REFLECT on why this roadblock exists, and which of your identified opportunities help solve he problem. – this step is important so that you keep context with your chosen solution(s) and address the matter at hand .
What can I do TODAY to change this situation?
“add up all non essential bills, look at business ideas, list items on Gumtree, approach my boss, search job ads. ” – There will always be SOMETHING that you can enter here, if you draw blanks, you need to approach again changing your perspective to focus on the can dos.
The POWER of mindset
Even if there was an inherit truth in my pal’s statement, words are the perfect medium to identifying a person’s mindset. Nobody could say he isn’t a hard worker. He has however turned down lower paying, higher yielding opportunities in favour of a day job featuring here and now money. And it’s reflected in his words vs how I reiterated a similar but somehow very different statement.
“Sad fact of the satiation is many of us won’t ever get to that point.’’
Is vastly different from
“Those who won’t try, won’t make it.”
Where one puts a limit on success, the other acknowledges and owns the path to success. And that’s important.
You see, if you’re in anyway serious about your growth, your development, your journey, you need to change your perception.
A baby knows it can’t walk, but does it give up? No. The baby tries, falls, cries and repeats until crawling is a distant memory.
To become an Entrepreneur is to become an innovator. That is, to find solutions to your perceived problems. To say yesdespite of amounting no’s, and importantly, to question why.
The common factor with most excuses that people make to not take that big brave first step is that they are matters that do not necessarily disappear in a year, two year’s or ten year’s time; they are factors that remain present whether you are starting out, or a seasoned veteran. There will always be something in the way unless you adopt a method of changing perspective and executing appropriately.
The rate at which you travel away from your potential destination is exponential. The longer you delay, the further away you arrive, so there has never been a better time to take action than right now.