I see the world around us constantly changing, evolving, and technology is growing at an all time high. I often wonder when cars will start flying. There is so much to look forward to, so much to be proud of, and most people say there is so much to fear. I spoke this past week at Millionaire Speaker Camp. There we listened to many top speakers in the country and learned from them. Erin and I had a chance to speak in front of the audience as well. We spoke about business today, Internet Marketing, and the future of business, as we know it. It was the first time Erin spoke with me on stage, she did amazingly. Everyone there was so sweet and loved the chemistry we had on stage. The way we fed off of one another was “magical” said one person. Anyways, there is a lot of change happening, and it is the most exciting time to be alive and the best time in history to be an entrepreneur.
Did you know that there were more millionaires made in the great depression than ever in history? People scream from the roof tops that we are in this crazy recession, that things have never been this bad, and we aren’t at the bottom yet, it is only going to get worse. All I can say is there are two types of people in the world, you have all heard this before: ones that see the glass half empty, and the others that see it as half full. We have choices in life; we were all given free agency in this life. You make thousands of choices everyday. When you wake up, you have a choice to make… are you going to make it a good day or a bad day. If you aren’t a morning person, are you going to be grumpy, or be grateful that you woke up? You see there is a reason they call it the past, future, and today is a gift… the present. I say this to preface my next few comments: stop complaining about the fact that the economy is in the crapper, stop looking to the news and TV for answers. It is no longer garbage in, garbage out. It is now, garbage in, garbage stays. Things have to change. The only one who can make the necessary changes is you.
You have to look at this economy and world and see the glass as half full. I personally see our current state, as the greatest opportunity in my lifetime to go out and do something powerful, be more successful, and help as many people as I can make that change. If you are an entrepreneur, are you really happy? Are you struggling with sales and retention? Most of you will say, “Duh Nate, everyone is struggling in sales and retention.” I beg to differ. You see, people are still spending money every single day, a lot of money every single day. Are they spending it with you? If they aren’t you need to look in the mirror and stop blaming the economy and do something about it. The way people are communicating, educating, and buying has changed. And if your company is struggling right now, you need to make a change in the way you do these simple things. Most of you are scratching your heads and asking your computer screen as if I could hear you, “How do I do that Nate?” I will tell you, and it will go in one ear and out the other. Nothing will come out of me giving you this information right now. Why? Because you have to be ready to hear it, and then go do something about it. Look, being an entrepreneur is tough, I know… trust me. But it can be one of the most rewarding things in life if done properly. It starts with you, the entrepreneur. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to make that change and get back to being an entrepreneur.
You see, I ask each of you to look into your minds and hearts. Think about the reason you started your businesses. Why did you want to be an entrepreneur? And I am not looking for the answers like, “That’s easy Nate, to make more money!” I know that is a major reason why a lot of people go into business for themselves, but I am looking for something different. I will give you an example: my reason for taking this difficult and less traveled road to success (the path to being an entrepreneur) is because I have an 11-month-old son. His name is Parker. He is incredible and my pride and joy. I want to be able to provide a life I never thought could be possible for him, I want to make sure he can have his college paid for, and I want to take him around the world with me and show him this amazing place we call Earth, and Erin and I are starting a charity. You see what I just did? I just answered my question with a statement, a statement that spoke about making a ton of money, having more free time to spend with loved ones, and traveling the world, helping people. Dig deep people; get to the real emotional connection of why you started in business for yourself. Then, once you have truly thought about that I want you to think about your business today. Are you happy with it? Are you satisfied in the way things are going everyday in your companies? Is what you are doing today going to empower you to accomplish your personal reasons why you became an entrepreneur?
I am astonished when the thousands of people I have worked with say, “You know Nate… I am not happy with the ways things are going, I am not able to do the things I need to enable me to accomplish my reasons for starting this business.” This crushes me. Most of you will answer the same way. I ask you to change it. Today. NOW! Make the change in your mind, heart, business, and life right now, and unleash your personal greatness that is inside of you. One of our clients is Les Brown, the top motivational speaker in the world. He said once, that people’s lives are the direct results of the choices they make during their lifetime. I completely agree and couldn’t have said it any better. What are you going to do? Make that change that is necessary for you to reach your business’s potential? Or continue on your path of insanity. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing day in and day out expecting a different result, said Albert Einstein. It is not going to change on it’s own people. You have to initiate that change. Once you have made this change and are willing to do whatever it takes to enable you to reach your goals and reasons of why you became an entrepreneur, let me know. Then you will be ready to hear the rest of what I am about to tell you. Then you are ready to get back to being an entrepreneur!
The Next Step
Now that you are ready to make that change and look at the current economic state as the glass being half full, seeing the incredible opportunity to take advantage and be more successful, I want you to write that reason down. You need to write down the reason you started your business, the deep emotional connection for you being an entrepreneur. Write it down and look at it everyday. Remember that you each have many choices to make every single day, and the best way to start that day is with the right choice and memory to do whatever it takes to reach your business goals, to enable you to do whatever the true reason was that you became an entrepreneur in the first place. Place this note somewhere where you will see it often and remember it. Now that you are on the right path to your success, never stray. No matter what, never let anyone shake you, or make you doubt that it can’t be done. Hold on to that and choose to make each day the best so you can take steps every day in the right direction to achieve these goals. This is so important I cannot tell you. Without this, you will not truly be able to hit the reset button and empower yourself with the abilities necessary to do it, day in and day out.
Ok, the next step. What is it? It is to look at what you were doing yesterday and the countless days before that and change that. You see, you did a really difficult thing; you chose to reset your mind. That is crucial, but not the hardest. Now you actually have to implement and do. You have to break yourself and your business of the habits you are currently in. And let me tell you, breaking habits is not a very easy thing to do. This is where the note I had you write will come in handy every single day. There is a reason that you are in the situation you are in, it wasn’t working, and it wasn’t enabling you to reach your true reasons for being an entrepreneur. What were the reasons? Were they to spend more free time with your loved ones, children, or your spouse? Hang on tight to these reasons, for they will become forever the main reason you do anything in your life. An emotional tie, nothing is more powerful. So, now you have the reason, you have the business, what is next? Accountability.
Accountability is the next step. Who is going to hold you accountable? Can you hold yourself accountable? Most entrepreneurs cannot, and this is why they are in this bind in the first place, and why most of you will fall right back into the rut you were just in. It is sad, I know. Facts hurt, the truth hurts. I say these things to impress upon you the importance of follow through. Get yourself an accountability partner. If you have a business partner, they can hold you accountable and you can hold them accountable. If you are alone in this business venture, then look to someone else, but get one. Get a coach… everyone needs a coach. Even Michael Jordan had a coach. You have to make sure you don’t fall back into the same routine you were just in, when you were brought to the fork in the road and forced to make a choice to change or keep on the path to utter failure, like so many businesses today. Remember, this is an amazing time to be alive, an amazing time to be an entrepreneur. Now that you are changing your business to help you get to your goals, what else do you need to change? We will work on that next time. Get back to being an entrepreneur!