“If ordinary people realized how ordinary in capability most
millionaires are, there’d be a lot more millionaires – what holds
people back isn’t lack of opportunity or capability, but the
illusory belief that millionaires possess some special abilities
they do not.”-Dan Kennedy
First things first. Every rich person I know reads Dan Kennedy. If you aspire to be be successful in business, I highly recommend his material.
You know what the real key to business success is? BALLS. Sure you need to have a plan. Sure you need to have some experience in the field, but I can’t count the number of people I meet that would love to start their own business, but say that it is ‘too risky.’
The truth is, having a job is just as risky, if not more risky. You could work at IBM for 30 years, and suddenly be unemployed the next day. Safety and security are vastly overrated. People who cling to their jobs don’t realize how close to the edge they really are…a strong wind comes and they are easily pushed into an unemployed free fall.
Remember: you are responsible for you. Its not the responsibility of “the company” or the government to put food on your table every week.
Lots of people have great ideas. Lots of people have wonderful skills which they could use to serve their fellow man. The people who are laughing all the way to the bank and living comfortably on the top of the socioeconomic pyramid are the ones who had the balls to make their vision a reality!
You can’t be afraid to be wrong. You can’t fear losing so much that you avoid playing the game! There are going to be times when you strike out several times in a row. It will hurt, but you’ve got to keep swinging. Sometimes storms come, but they always pass eventually.
There will also be times when you are hot and are hitting home runs with confidence and gusto. Its those times you’ve got to keep your eye on the big picture and keep working towards the larger goal. You can’t get too comfortable, because nothing lasts forever.
Its easy to put people who have achieved something you aspire to on a pedestal. I have been guilty of this, trust me, but the more and more successful people I meet the more I realize this: they are just people. They took action. They made a courageous decision and stood by it. They starting being the kind of person necessary to do what they wanted to do.
The only difference between you and the billionaire kid who started Facebook was that he had the balls to start Facebook. You can always find someone who knows the answers along the way. The difficult part for most people is taking the first step. Its having the courage to embark.
You are so close to having everything you could possibly imagine. Have the balls to take the first step and BE who you want to BE. Stop underestimating yourself, because YOU HAVE THE POWER!
