I watched a talk Gary Vaynerchuk did at Web 2.0 Expo this year about building personal brand. Actually, it was more about having success (in my opinion) and the amount of effort it takes to have it. You can view the video here:
It was a very honest discussion. He openly said, “Stop crying and keep hustling” and “we are building businesses, this is not about parties.” Let’s not forget, “I lost money initially to do what I love” or “I made a change when I became 1% unhappy with what I was doing.” This is all good advice but the problem is that people want “instant” results. He mentioned that he put in 17 months, long hours every day, to get where he is now. He called people out that have a 9-5 job. If you really want your own thing, there is plenty of time to do it, even if someone has a full-time job. Their success will not happen until they’ve put forth the effort to achieve it.
When I said this previously, people laughed it off or thought their miracle would instantaneously happen. The weird thing that never made any sense to me:
Let’s say their miracle happened, a huge success virtually overnight. What made them think they could handle it? What makes a person prepared is going through the growth stage. Overcoming the challenges. Earning the success.
Sigh, let’s keep it real…
What the instantaneous people really want is the money and privileges of success without the effort. Of course, if they received their wish, it would all fall apart because they aren’t ready. The foundation is not there for them to continue to be successful. Once a person is under the spotlight the room for error, without consequence, decreases tremendously. An entire new set of challenges arise. It is like tackling a college business statistics class without ever taking a math class above basic algebra. Destined for failure unless the person is willing to work double-time, which is unlikely since they wanted instant success in the first place.
I don’t mind the effort and I like the challenge…
One of the weird things I felt lately was the feeling of “been there, done that”. When it came to what I wanted to do next, I was at a loss. I’ve already had a successful blog, large community, and met many cool people. Did I want to do something I’ve already done or did I want a fresh new challenge?
Either way, I have no problem putting in the effort. When one is passionate about something it isn’t work, is it? That is why I cringe internally when people say relationships are a lot of work. If one is passionate about the relationship, it isn’t work.
In the end…
We choose our own destinies. Just because we want something doesn’t mean we are meant to have it or that it is the best thing for us. Many times our opportunity comes. Unfortunately, the opportunity comes in a way we did not envision it, many overlook the opportunity completely, causing the door to close on the opportunity.
And there is no guarantee another success door will ever open again.
