The 10-Year Journey

How To Win In Business

I obviously haven’t fully “won” in business yet. But one day I will have “won”. By that point, I think the main lessons I’ll be offering to those who are curious will be very similar to the lessons in this newsletter. Patience is key. Patience is the answer.

Putting The Time In

Most of us have heard this quote at one point or another. There is much debate around the true meaning of this quote and whether or not it really takes 10,000 hours to do something well. Mathematically, the 10,000-Hour Rule is said to be accomplished with 20 hours of work a week for ten years.

No matter what your end goal is, that’s a lot of hours and a lot of years. However, multiple famous people or successful businesses claim that overall it was about 10 years before they truly became “successful”.

So like it or not, it seems like there is some truth to the 10 year timeline before you reach the societal definition of success. But the definition of success is also subjective. While step 20 may equal success to society, step 5 may be your version of true success. However, since patience is still the key, and you’re probably still on step one like I am of truly doing the thing, and probably going for the societal success definition, how do we survive that long 10-year journey?

Fake It Till You Make It

It sounds cliche, but it couldn’t be more true. To get where you want to be in life, it may be most beneficial for you to follow the footsteps of those who have come before you on the path to your destination. You know, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. Use their experiences and mistakes as a guide for your own journey while you find your way to success.

In my business there has been a lot of fake confidence. I’m often faced with quick make or break situations and decisions. A lot of times the name of the game is faking confidence to make the sale (within reason and your general skillset) and then figuring out the details of how you’re actually going to accomplish the task later.

This is a risky way to approach life but the payoffs are massive. Even when it doesn’t work out, it is still a learning experience and you still win in the end. You’ll always have successes and failures in life, but the sure way to win overall is to just keep going.

Win By Doing The Thing

“You’re not stuck unless you stop” A major reason most people fail in business or fail to achieve their goals is simply because they stop, give up, and quit. If failure equals stopping, the solution is simply staying dedicated, keeping going, and pushing through the good times, and the bad. For every low, there is a high. But also for every high, there will be a low.

I once heard “You win at marriage by staying married”. Meaning marriage, just like everything else in life, is very very hard. But to avoid failing marriage, aka divorce, you and your partner have to make a commitment to stay married no matter what. This includes the times of putting in the work for each other and weathering the storms together and seeking solutions rather than running away from your problems. Not just the fun lovey times.

Now there are exceptions to this. If the goal you’re committing to is causing you harm in some way, either physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, or if you are in deep denial of the potential success of the goal, then by all means stop and find a healthier path to go down.

At the end of the day, it’s you and your life, and that’s something you will have to life with day in and day out no matter the decision you make. But as you reap what you sow, those who put in hard work usually find success down the road in life.

Dear Future You

I called this section ‘Dear Future You’, but one thing to also never forget is the past you. Always remember your why and what is was that made you fall in love with this journey and goal in the first place.

It’s equally important to keep future you in mind. You started this journey to feel a certain way at the end of the day. You started saving money to become financially free and not worry about bills or credit cards. You started that new job to make more money, or leave a job that made you unhappy, in hopes of making each day better for yourself. You got the kids a puppy to bring them happiness and give them lifelong memories.

All these situations have challenges and hard times but the end goal is always worth much more than the struggle. Eventually, if you stay the course, you’ll reach those goals of financial freedom, family memories, and a happy work life. And when you look back on it, you’ll say it was worth every minute of that journey.

So here’s to the 10 year road ahead of us. Whatever it may be, just know we’re all on this journey together! You never have to struggle alone and those who work with others and have a support system are way more likely to succeed. So if you’re ever feeling tired and weary on your journey, reach out to me! I’d love to help you along and keep you going!

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend!