Enduring The Road To Success

Enduring The Road To Success By Eric Hamm of MotivateThyself.com

Contents:

About the Author: ………………………………………………………………………….3

Introduction: ……………………………………………………………………………….. 4

Chapter 1: The First Valley …………………………………………………………..5

Chapter 2: Keeping Your Feet On The Ground …………………………..12

Chapter 3: Beware Of Boredom …………………………………………………..19

Chapter 4: Dealing With The Catch-22 ……………………………………….24

Chapter 5: Staying One Step Ahead Of The Competition ………….27

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About The Author: My name is Eric Hamm and I am the author of a blog called “Motivate Thyself”. I have many passions, but one of my greatest quests is to gain success in everything I set my mind to. This doesn’t mean that I plan on being the greatest basketball player just because I want to shoot some hoops; I don’t want to pursue great success in EVERYTHING. But, for instance, if I am attempting to make a name for myself in Blogopolis, than THAT would be a pursuit that I deem worthy of some of my greatest energy and focus. As a business owner/computer consultant, I set forth to gain great success in my industry. After 5 years I have realized my need to change paths so I am now pursuing other things. My point is this; whatever I put my mind and energies to, I expect success. But not because of a blind ambition, but instead, I expect this because of a formula of enduring the road to success that’s worked time and again and continues to show its value as I push ahead.

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Introduction: This is a compilation of posts that has been created over the last month and a half at “Motivate Thyself”. It’s the series I called, “Enduring The Road To Success”, in its entirety. I hope you enjoy and benefit from the content provided as I walk you through my journey on this road as I set out to conquer one business and then start another. The ideas and tips included are completely transferable to any endeavor that you may feel led to seek out.

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Chapter 1: The First Valley The exact numbers may vary depending on the source you take them from and the goals in question, but the general consensus is that 1 out of every 2 people who attempt to obtain success, will fail. Here are some examples: * 30% of college students leave after the first year and almost 50% will never graduate. * 50% of businesses fail within the first year and 80% will never make it to year 5. * 95% of all blogs will fail. Now these are just a few areas where people attempt to succeed and I’m sure you will find other ventures that have higher or lower rates of failure, but the point is clear; people fail just as much as they succeed.

The road to success. The path between the starting line and the final destination of your pursuits can be a long and winding road. Hills and valleys are up ahead and the weather is never certain. You stock up for the mission, but uncertainty 5

is at the forefront of your mind as you embark on this very important journey. www.MotivateThyself.com

When I started my consulting business 5 years ago, I had no idea what to expect. I had heard the statistics, but wasn’t too concerned. I figured I was one of the few who would succeed. Looking back, I’m not sure if this was arrogance or ignorance, but somehow I seemed to pull it off. Coming out of the gate, I was driven by the momentum of my enthusiasm. You could say that I started on a ‘hill’ and could see all the great potential ahead. I was sprinting with all my mite as I couldn’t wait to make up some ground. But it didn’t take long for me to find myself in the first valley, unable to see beyond the next bend.

Enduring the first valley. So here I was, experiencing the first real stumbling block of any journey for success. It’s in the first valley that many will fail. Not only are you in a low point on the trail, but considering it’s your first encounter, you literally have no idea what to expect. It can be petrifying to say the least, and has a tendency to take every last molecule of wind out of your sails.

So what brought me to my first valley? It was probably a combination of my first bad experience with a client as well as the realization of the work involved in building a successful 6

business. In other words, reality hit me like a ton of bricks. Starting at such

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a high point and then finding myself tumbling down the mountain, I was experiencing, for the first time, the roller coaster ride to success. Cameron Herold wrote a brilliant guest post on Tim Ferriss’s blog that tackled this particular subject. He broke the experience down into 4 steps, with the last one being a juncture that had two possible outcomes. It’s called the ‘Transition Curve’ and it looks something like this: 1. Uninformed Optimism (At a high point…) 2. Informed Pessimism (Starting to crash…) 3. Crisis of Meaning (Stuck in a valley…) 4. And then either ‘Crash & Burn‘ or ‘Informed Optimism‘ (Do I give into failure or take what I’ve learned and move in a positive direction?) The basic idea is that most of us start this journey with an optimism that is not completely founded in reality. So when reality does finally hit, your drive can take a serious nose dive. Then you find yourself wondering if this really IS what you want to do or if it is even something that you CAN do. It is at this point that the road splits and you are left to make a potentially life changing decision; “Do I give into failure or do I push through this?” If 7

you choose the latter, you will begin the final step of ‘informed optimism’ where you will have a positive outlook that is based on facts and not www.MotivateThyself.com

adrenaline. Not only will you continue on your journey, but you will have just gained a very important skill that will be crucial in the many ‘miles’ ahead.

The breakthrough of moving beyond your first valley. Honestly, I think the fear of being broke was what helped me make the decision to push ahead. But the ’skill’ was still learned and the next valley, not as much of a threat. Many things in life are setup this way. Whether it be the breaking of a bad habit or the pursuit of a dream, making it past the first ‘bump in the road’ is one of the hardest and most crucial parts of the process. It’s the moment the road forks for the first time that you will find out if you want it badly enough. Your motivators will have their first real test as their ability to drive you is called into question. As I just stated, fear was a big motivator for me in the early stages. This may not be the most ‘attractive’ drive to admit to, but it served its purpose none the less. So as you start to ascend into this dark, unfamiliar land, know that it is up to you to make it through. Nobody will force you to ‘push through the pain’.

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6 tips to help you get past this crucial point.

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So you’re stuck in this valley and are having trouble finding which ways up, let alone knowing how you’re going to keep moving forward. I’ve been there many times and have thus far made it to the next step, so I not only feel your pain, but have some insight that might be helpful. 1. Don’t freak out when you realize it’s not as easy as you thought it would be. When the initial crash begins to take place, panic is often the first reaction. You start asking yourself, “What am I doing here? I can’t do this! This is too hard and just not working out like I thought it would.” I can tell you from experience, THIS IS NORMAL! Relax and know that this was to be expected. Not because you can’t do it, but because your expectations were off to begin with. With a little bit of time and some adjustment to your perspective, you’ll be on your way before you know it. 2. Take a weekend and forget all about it. One of the best things you can do to prevent unnecessary panic, is to get away from the situation. Clear your head of the whole matter by taking a weekend and just having some fun. Get some exercise, get some good sleep and relax. Try not to think about what you’re going to do, but instead, focus on getting that mind fresh for the week to come. 3. Make sure you’re on the right road. After some R&R it’s time 9

to ask yourself a very important question, “Is this really the right thing for me to do?” The fact is, often times the reason we fail is because we are www.MotivateThyself.com

attempting something that just isn’t for us. You must be careful, though, because this is also an easy time to make excuses and talk yourself out of the RIGHT path. But be sure this is something your REALLY want/need to do. Once you’ve decided it is, you need to… 4. Remind yourself why you started this journey in the first place. Sure, you were pumped with optimistic adrenaline in the beginning, but that doesn’t mean the reasons for your pursuit were any less important. Think back to the starting line and re-feed on the ideas for your future. Only this time, do so with your new found appreciation for the challenges that lie ahead. 5. Get advice from a veteran in your field. After you’ve refreshed your memory, it’s time to seek the advice of someone who’s been there before. Find that person who’s been through many valleys before and keeps rising to the top. Ask for their insight as you… 6. Prepare a counter attack. Now that you have the help of a veteran and you are completely convinced that you’re on the right path, it’s time to layout a game plan to push through this and start your ascension to a successful future. Figure out what things ‘pulled the rug out from under you’ and learn from the mistakes you had made. Accept the reality of your 10

current obstacles and figure out the best ways around them. Look at this

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whole thing as a learning experience, a necessary ‘lesson’ of life, and make things happen!

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Chapter 2: Keeping Your Feet On The Ground If anyone needs to see numbers to backup the notion that our society has a tendency to ‘over shoot’, all they have to do is check out the daily headlines. Sure, our economy’s woes are incredibly complex and created by multiple factors, but the overwhelming number of businesses and individuals who went overboard while the bubble was inflating is staggering. A few years ago, things were moving so quickly that if you were a real estate agent you would have thought retirement at 40 was nothing less than a certainty. As a result, many got a little too aggressive and much too confident. This brings me to the next obstacle on our journey. We’ve just pushed past the first valley and have started to increase in elevation as we make our way back to the peaks of progress. Only this time, it’s not just adrenaline, but informed optimism that is fanning our flames. Now we grow confident as we feel the first true sensations of success. But just as the valleys threaten our voyage, so too does this exciting new hill bring danger to our designated destination. The confidently climbing computer consultant. About 4 and a half years ago I was climbing with just this kind of confidence. I’d 12

learned much from my ‘first valley’ experience and was excited to continue

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moving forward with a more educated engagement. The money was just starting to flow with more consistency as my name began to establish itself among the local community. The more clients I encountered, the more efficient and effective I became. I was really starting to get the hang of the whole thing. But fairly quickly I started making my first ‘post valley’ mistakes. For one, I was spending money with the perspective that things were always going to flow with ferocity. This not only kept my financial buffer quite thin, but it began building bad habits. Secondly, my imagination started taking over my goal setting as my immature success made me feel amazingly invincible. Just like a good run can boost your endorphins, so too can a mountain ascent bring on floods of feel good hormones. As we start to see the world once again, perched on our high mountain peak, loss of perspective finds its way back. And if that weren’t already a plate of potential mishaps, I went one step further as I found myself lightning my load of self taught technical training. As a computer consultant it is absolutely crucial that you stay ahead of the curve with the latest technology trends. The last thing you want to do is fail your client by falling short. So constant intellectual updates are a must. But with everything going so 13

well, I started to become complacent in my computer curiosity.

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The danger of the self induced valley. It’s one thing to find yourself in the lowlands because of uncontrollable circumstances, but all too often it is the result of confident complacency that gets us into trouble. As I just mentioned, over confidence in my misdiagnosed maturity was weakening the very wheels I had ridden to win the first race. I had done what many tend to do, as I disregarded the very same growth that had helped gain my positive progress. I had found a formula that worked and then depleted the dose as if my recent increase in elevation would take it from there. I joined the ranks of so many who frequent the valley as if it were their second home, as I started to see my ascent turn downward. One unique characteristic about this particular path is that it moves with momentum. Once you start your decent, just like a train slamming on it’s breaks, you can only sit and watch as you skid down the surface of the mountain. As I started to run into those unforeseen slow times, I wasn’t prepared to properly proceed with the pursuit. My finances were depleted, my daily habits, set for a sustained success that wasn’t currently accessible and my technical skills were starting to rust. This wasn’t an on/off switch situation. It was in those moments 14

that I not only realized my mistakes, but had to accept a foreseeable future of a valley voyage. I knew it would now take some time to repair the damage, learn www.MotivateThyself.com

from my recent over reaction and start the upward climb I so desired. It was in this second valley that I was once again faced with a split in the path. There were two arrows pointing opposite of the other, one promoting progress while the other pointed perilously to a path that provided a quick and easy escape from the pains of my previous elevation. 5 Tips to help you keep your feet on the ground as your progress continues to push upward. So I’ve presented you with some images of over extension and under estimation that help reveal my inability to stay grounded when things were looking up. It was this lack of personal gravity that pulled me up and then pulled the rug right out from under my shaky foundation. But it wasn’t all for not, as I came away with a few notions of new knowledge that would help me not only regain my footing, but maintain longevity in the higher altitudes ahead. So here are some tips that I would like to share with any who find their ability to maintain a positive momentum to be minuscule at best. 1. Continue with the formula that works. If I could give you only one piece of advice concerning sustained success it would be this very point. 15

It may be a simple step, but easy it is not. The low points on the journey make it hard to maintain motion, while it is the peaks that leave us light www.MotivateThyself.com

headed and overly optimistic. So it is absolutely crucial that you not only find this righteous routine, but that you run with it regardless of your current elevation. 2. Be frugal whenever possible. With anything in life, money is often the ultimate voice of progress. It speaks to us in reward as well as recourse. But it is what we do with these multidirectional decibels that determines our destination. The saying may be true that it takes money to make money, but I would suggest with certainty that much of our spending does not come in the form of progress. It is especially crucial during these high points in the journey that we take advantage of this successful surge. Because the buffer we are building will become our life raft when inevitability finds its way back once more. 3. When viewing from a peak, take your vision and dial it back. (Translation: Don’t let yourself get overly confident.) I made the mistake of riding my new found success right back down the mountain. As my elevation started to increase, the view seemed to become more beautiful with every upward turn. But it wasn’t just the situation that was changing. My ability to see the fine details of my journey were becoming obscured as well. And with this diluted determination, I was much more prone to make mistakes as I calculated my course. This is why it’s 16

absolutely imperative that you base your decisions on the

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previous steps of success instead of the hypnotic hype that the hills tend to harbor. 4. Avoid complacency at all costs! As I mentioned, it was during this particular ascent that I began to let off the throttle of sustaining my skill set. But I would urge you to avoid this immature act and always be at your best. The fact is, there are many who are competing to maintain footing on this very path that you pursue, and it will be those who keep their focus fixed on their foundation that will make the most headway. So always stay sharp while maneuvering your way up and down these monumental mountains. 5. Plan for the next valley. As I stated in a previous paragraph, some of the valleys we face are an inevitability. So it’s just as as important that we plan for the next descent as it is to pursue our upward progress. Following the steps I just laid out will benefit this future battle plan, but we also need to prepare our minds as the adrenaline will certainly stop pushing our forward potential. The best example I can think of when describing this process is with the cycles of blogging. Monday starts off strong with emails and comments and traffic, OH MY! Then continues the motion of this joyous momentum as the week goes on. But as the weekend starts finding its way closer to the current moment, we see a 17

significant lull in the action. It is during these times that, if unexpected, may be perceived as a negative reflection of our Internet offerings. But

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for those who are aware of the cycle and therefore prepared for the minuscule motion of the two days before Monday, it is just another weekend, a ‘mini valley’ so to speak. So whether or not you blog, and therefore grasp this grossly simplified concept, it is absolutely crucial for your perspectives to be prepared for all that lies ahead.

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Chapter 3: Beware Of Boredom If you’ve ever checked out my ‘About Me‘ page you know that I’ve done just about every J-O-B known to man. OK, maybe not everyone, but A LOT! One of the common threads that you’d find if you were to follow me back in time, would be that of ‘boredom after 6 months’. I say six months because that’s about how long it takes to master most J-O-B’s. (Please don’t take offense to my use of J-O-B here. I’m just referring to many of the 9 to 5ers out there. I’m fully aware of the great number of jobs that require huge skill sets and dedication to master. I mean no disrespect.) After you have elevated your skills to a point where you could man the register or the phone or the customers or whatever, in your sleep, with both hands tied behind your back and only using 2% of your brain power (hold on, I need to catch my breath…OK, I’m good!), you will start to get seriously bored. And I’m not talking ‘looking at the clock every couple of hours, bored, but, “PLEASE, let me out of this place” (and it’s only 9:15am on a Monday) kind of bored. Now these might sound a little extreme, but the fact is, if you are a quick learner and have any kind of initiative at work, you will quickly get to that place where you can choose to stop striving. In my consulting business 19

that time comes and goes. It is certainly much more challenging than anything I had ever done in the past, and running a business keeps you on www.MotivateThyself.com

your toes with regularity, but even all of that can get quite boring as time goes on. Just after tackling the unforeseen dangers of our previous summit, and right after coming out of our first valley, we are now feeling pretty confident. But this is exactly the problem. Our confidence, if handled improperly, will most certainly lead to boredom and then very quickly, complacency. And it’s complacency that will always bring us mediocrity. The problem is, we tend to seek comfort after all the previous struggles on this long road to success. Like any human being, the first signs of peace make us feel like we’ve ‘finally made it!’ But nothing could be further from the truth! We need to translate the positive energy that comes from our newly found confidence, into the push we need to make it up our next mountain. But instead, our natural reaction is to start to strut our way along the road. We think, “I could do this in my sleep! I’m awesome!” And you may be awesome (the jury’s still out :-) ), but being awesome isn’t going to make you a success. Passionate persistence with a side of personality and people skills should be what you’re after. And this only comes in time and with experience. Because the passion and persistence I’m referring to will find its way as you get your battle scars and keep coming out stronger 20

than before. A rookie’s optimism is only a small portion of the personality I am speaking of.

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How to avoid the wrong kind of confidence as we face boredom. * View your current skill set as only the tip of the iceberg. If you look at all the successful people in our lifetime and compare their ‘time of striving to improve’, you would likely see this time as open ended. It’s that drive to always look for a better way of doing things that reveals someone who is serious about maintaining momentum. We live in a go-go-go society and it is one that never stops. Those who stagnate in their skill set will most certainly be left behind. And the fact is, boredom stinks! If you want to continue to enjoy your work, it is essential that you keep moving forward in both your knowledge and appreciation for what you do. * Keep your focus outward. One of the things that tends to occur as we become complacent is that of inward focus. Whether we are over confident, frustrated or just plain bored, it is our obsession with ourselves that can magnify these emotions. It is only when we keep our eyes outward and onward that we can maintain a healthy perspective on reaching the goals we strive for. And it is when we maintain this perspective that we can more easily see the next motion in need of mastery. * Question your current path. I truly believe that each and every 21

one of those jobs were essential in forming the skills I needed to move forward. But there came a time when that particular path had run out of www.MotivateThyself.com

road. We need to make sure that our current heading is still right for the success we seek. Because if our job has finished playing its part, we need to stop running in place and find the beginning of the next trail. * Be the best at what you do! I don’t think you’ll ever have to worry about saying to yourself, “Man, I really wish I weren’t so good at this!” Striving for excellence for the sake of being the best is something that will always keep you sharp and safe from the blisters of burning boredom. I’m not suggesting you waste your time trying to ‘one up’ everybody, but if you realize your great need to keep learning, keep your focus on the trail ahead, and are certain you are riding along the right road, you should feel confident in seeking your spot at the top of the list. Technically, there will always be somebody better than you, but playing a healthy game of, “I bet I can do it better”, will always keep you on your toes and off the path of mediocrity. * Diversify your growth. Kind of like multitasking, but without the newly negative notion of ‘system slowdown‘, diversifying your growth can be a great way to keep the boredom at bay. If you are constantly focusing on one area of mental growth, you will find yourself quickly tiring of this tedious tyrant. Our minds crave many tastes and it is essential that we feed them a ‘balanced’ diet. Too much of any particular ‘food’ and we risk 22

negative effects. Not only will you gain a wider range of knowledge, but the single skill in question will benefit from getting a break now and again.

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The Bottom line is, human beings are active creatures with highly reactive minds. We constantly need things to react TO as we go about our days. If our ‘day jobs’ aren’t bringing us the stimulation we need to keep a positive pursuit of success, than we need to rethink our path. And if we know we’re on the right road, it’s time we take a good look at the method to our movement.

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Chapter 4: Dealing With The Catch-22 When I began this journey of blogging it was with the full intention of changing ‘careers’. I’d been running my computer consulting business for almost 5 years and was ready to move on. Four months had gone by and I had found myself coming up to a kind of crossroads that I’d never seen up to this point. Unfamiliar, though it was, I knew that my focus needed to be on a direction and not on its distinctive features. So I thought long and hard about which way to veer and finally came up with a choice that has been executed as of last week. First, let’s look at the ‘Catch-22′… What made this directional dilemma so unique was its inability to give a clear right or wrong answer. It seemed as though no matter where I leaned, I was given both positive and negative play. The road forked because my time was becoming ever so limited with the pending launch of some near sighted ventures. My current business was paying the bills, but my future goals were paying the price of its hunger for time. The sign between the splitting trails said something like this: 24

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“TURN LEFT: Here you will regain the valuable time needed to properly produce the ‘product’ of your future. Be careful, though, as your finances will be uncertain and the ground less solid for the first few miles. TURN RIGHT: Here you will continue down the road you remember as you reap the rewards of certain solid ground. Be careful, though, as you will continue to neglect your dreams and most certainly restrict your future possibilities.” So you see my dilemma? I think this is something we all face at one time or another as we make our way down this road of life. But it isn’t until you’re faced with this fork that you feel its heavy hand fondling your fate. You mistake the feeling of uncertainty as a sign that there’s only one correct coordinate. But if you happen to be the author of a blog that’s titled with verbiage of forward progress, you may find that certainty is not always a requirement for right direction. So which way did I ‘turn the wheel’? If the above directions were to be taken literally, than I would answer this question by stating that my heading went from North, to North-West. I decided on the 25

potentially shaky ground, for the ability to fully follow my future endeavors. So last week I said goodbye to my computer consulting business and hello to my

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online opportunities. I’d spent 5 years building certainty, but it had become boxed in by boredom and other captivities that I’ll purposefully fail to explain. I don’t have regrets for this recent past, but I knew as I stared at this fork, that regret would make itself known if my dreams weren’t properly tended to. Sink or swim, as Sean and I like to say, but treading water is just not in the playbook anymore.

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Chapter 5: Staying One Step Ahead Of The Competition We are in the final ‘leg’ of our journey as I talk about the twists and turns that we encounter as we try and endure the road to success. But we’re not here to just endure, but to conquer. We’re on this road because we want to be more than average and rise to our greatest potential. This final leg is just as important as the first. It is here where we are not just trying to stay on track. It is this part of our journey where the 5 percent is separated from the other 95. It’s the innovative and creative that succeed past this point. Anyone can fallow a plan to succeed, but few blaze their own trail and make their own rules. But this is exactly what I’m going to ask that you do. About a month and a half ago I wrote a guest post for Pick The Brain called, “10 Traits of a Successful Human Being“. In point #4, ‘A Big Imagination’ I say this: “When I think of some of the greatest ‘achievers’ in American history I see great innovators and people of purpose. Names like Henry Ford, Walt Disney and Bill Gates come to mind. From cars to 27

cartoons to computers, their personalities were as diverse as their pursuits. But one thing they share is the wonderful ability to see

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what’s not yet visible to the naked eye. It was the imagination of Henry Ford that first painted the picture of a car in every garage, and Bill Gates, a computer in every home. And it was Walt Disney who continues to inspire millions with the idea that ‘anything is possible’. Those with inevitable success can see the unseen. They’ve become successful in their minds before they laid their first brick.“

Seeing the unseen. My first year of consulting was filled with the commonalities of a new business. I was just trying to get to the point where the training wheels could come off. The thoughts of innovation were nonexistent as more pending concerns like building a client base filled my mind and imagination. But after I broke through ‘The First Valley‘ and made my way along the winding road of success, I found that a barrier would soon make itself known.

Kind of like a fallen tree laying right across the middle of the road,

I was stuck. Sure, I was making money and paying the bills. My clients were multiplying and the word continued to get out as my services were above average and readily accessible. But I wasn’t growing. At least not in the way that could be considered exceptional. I mean, that’s what we’re after, right? A sort of uncommon success 28

that only comes from innovative thinking and is near impossible without the ability to see the unseen? I’d go as far as to say that without forward www.MotivateThyself.com

thinking, we will never make it past the back seat. It has always been the person in the driver’s seat that steers the vehicle, and only those with this ‘forward vision’ that are positioned to take the wheel. So by year two I was forced to break free from the ‘playbook’ and start looking for the answers to this riddle. I decided that ‘uncommon success’ was what I desired and that no ‘textbook’ could paint my path. Here is what I started doing differently: * Look around you. The first thing I did was open my eyes to my competition. What were they up to? How did they deal with their clients? How did they advertise and what image were they attempting to project? And most importantly, how (if at all) were they preparing for the future? * Look at yourself. Next, I took this information and compared it with my own policies and philosophy. How did I compare? What did they know that I didn’t and vice versa? Interestingly, I found that most of the other consultants in my area, including the big names, were doing things just the same as myself. I didn’t see much innovation, nothing that set apart the wheat from the chaff. * Look at the business/niche. After realizing the lack of creativity going on in the computer service industry, I realized a great need to analyze 29

the business itself. What I realized was that the state of this particular industry allowed for ‘lazy’ imaginations. The need for these services was www.MotivateThyself.com

much greater than the amount of those addressing them. And the willingness to pay top dollar only added to the problem. I realized that I was in a great position for seeing the unseen, as most were too caught up in the now to compete for this future space. * Look at what the business/niche is NOT. Now was the time to figure out where these technology tentacles had not yet tainted. It was time to figure out where ‘tomorrow’ would position the industry and how I could position my business to monopolize most. * Listen to the clients. Now that I had gained an accurate perspective on the position of the industry, I was ready to start building my own understanding of the future. I started asking a lot of questions and then REALLY listening to the answers. I tried to figure out what the average computer user was in need of, but not receiving from ‘Joe Consultant’ down the street. What needs were not being met and what needs were not being met effectively. * Test the waters. By now I had a strong understanding of what needed to be done to blaze a trail of my own. Now it was just a matter of figuring out what ideas worked and which ones did not. It’s now time to start throwing things against the wall to see which ones stick. 30

* Stretch your imagination. Finally, it was time to really dig deep and start seeing the unseen. I had to break free from the mold that had been www.MotivateThyself.com

created by following the lead of others and take that scary step of independent thinking. But it was only after letting go of this ’security blanket’ that I could clearly see the road ahead. I had stopped looking to the industry for answers and started using my own abilities and imagination to dream of the next path to pursue. As I mentioned above, some industries are positioned for ‘lazy innovation’. The housing market, before the ‘bust’, was in just this situation. Everyone and their granny was selling real estate and everyone, including granny, was making money, hand over fist. But now that the bubbled has popped we finally see an industry that actually REQUIRES innovation and forward thinking to succeed. It is through these hard financial times that we will watch the likes of a Bill Gates-esque innovator, rise from the rubble. Now is the time when imaginations will be rewarded and thoughts of tomorrow, necessary for success. One final note. You may be wondering, “How can you fallow a post about leaving your consulting business with one chanting tales of innovation in this very industry?” The fact is, as I started building up steam in my business, I also began to realize that I was in an industry that appealed to me less and less. But instead of looking at this as a waste of my time, I 31

realized that it was just a stepping stone to get me where I wanted to go. The lessons learned were/are completely transferable. The secret to

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success is a universal ‘recipe’. It is only in the fine details that the differences become known.

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