Why Entrepreneurs Should Be More Like Weeds in a Garden Here's why resilience is the one most important trait for entrepreneurs.
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Want to be the top dog in your industry? You've got to believe in your service or product, know how to craft and hone an offer that kills, and be on a constant journey for improvement.
But the top entrepreneurs in your industry know that you can plan all you want, research until there's nothing left to watch or read and network like a madman. However, if you're not resilient, all that other stuff doesn't matter, because resilience is what takes a great idea and makes sure it succeeds, despite the onslaught of setbacks and failures along the way.
I'm talking about the resilience of a weed, sticking your face everywhere it's not supposed to be and fighting for your business like it's your life.
Let's start with your personal life
You're doing everything right, then an injury happens, your schedule changes or a loved one gets sick. All of a sudden, your routine is thrown off.
It's even worse during the holidays. You make bad food choices for two days in a row, skip the gym, and hit the snooze button when you need to get up. Next thing you know, two days of bad choices turn into two weeks. Suddenly, you're ashamed to face your trainer, so you quit going to the gym and chomp on another candy bar.
When does it stop? When you get some resilience.
For most people, acquiring healthy habits is tough, and falling back into bad ones is easy. If you want to suck the marrow out of life, you can't be like most people. You've got to be different, unique, resilient. You've got to take a hard fall and then get back on the horse, over and over and over.
Things aren't going to go the way you planned. Other people will let you down and — yes — you will let down yourself. So you get up, make things right, and keep moving forward. Otherwise, you foster bitterness and resentment in your personal relationships, which lead to heartache and hatred, regret and depression.
This is why you need resilience. And while it doesn't always come naturally, it's worth fighting for. Building your resilience trains you to want to grow. It makes it possible to stay in the gym, keep away from the ice cream container and avoid sticking your foot in your mouth again. It takes the edge off of whatever temptation is most enticing to you.
Why entrepreneurs need resilience
Important as resiliency is in your personal life, it's also an essential business tool. Resiliency is what separates the struggling entrepreneurs from the crazy wealthy ones, the failed business owners from the overnight success stories.
The "overnight success" is a myth. Behind every "overnight success," there are years of resilience at play.
Everyone loves the entrepreneur who plays in his own corner. The guy who starts a small business and doesn't dream big will never upset anyone. This sort of entrepreneur is content to break even or turn enough profit to pay the bills.
As soon as you become empire-minded, you'll find obstacles around every corner. People you thought had your back will laugh at you. The bank that always helped you out will turn you down, and every team member who hasn't bought into your vision will leave at the first sign of trouble.
If you're not resilient, you're screwed. The negativity that comes your way will tear you down. Even if it doesn't put you out of business, lacking resilience will stop you from the massive business and personal growth you dream of achieving.
I was doubted from the moment I stepped foot in this country. I ate out of dumpsters, lived in government housing, got rejected by the Marines and dropped out of college. I have no formal business education. With this background, I'm not supposed to run several multi-million-dollar businesses. I'm not supposed to coach 7-, 8-, and 9-figure entrepreneurs, who travel all the way to my sleepy little cow town of Chino Hills to work with me.
I do. Why? Resilience. Without resilience and self-belief, my dreams would have scared me, and I would have laid them down and watched them die a long time ago.
It's a lie if you think you won't face setbacks. On planet Earth, there's no avoiding them. You get on a roll, then hit a roadblock and move a step backward. It happens over and over. If you're not facing setbacks, you're not taking any risks. Your dream is too small. Dream big and obstacles will pop up all over the place.
The key is to take more steps forward than backward. To do this, you've got to show up every day ready to battle, ready to push harder than the day before, without fear of failure. You've got to be resilient.
When you get kicked in the teeth and hated on, when you're financially upside down with your back against the wall, do what no one expects. Get back up, fight like crazy to reach your goals, prove all the haters wrong, and be resilient as a weed!
