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Character Traits of a Successful Fastlaner

Anything related to matters of the mind

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AndrewNC

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After being on this forum for six years, building my own business, and helping many newer forum members get started in building their businesses; I started to see a lot of common patterns between what makes some of us successful while other ones say they want to build a business; but they never go on to actually do it.

And this area of entrepreneurship has nothing to do with business ideas, marketing advice, sales strategies, or anything like that. That's a necessary skill in itself - which can be learned by reading any of the GOLD threads on this forum - but it's the character traits which can be the make or break factor between if you're going to be successful next month, next year, or never.

Character Trait #1 - Initiative

For my publishing company, I write a number of books on topics from entrepreneurship, stress-management and mindfulness, relationships, health, and spirituality.

For promotion purposes, I now like to co-author with someone who has subject-matter expertise, and a passion for the topic we write about. My health book is being written with Alyssa - A healthy eating/nutritionalist/shares the same views on life and diet as I do. I will do the bulk of the writing and she will promote the book through the growth of her brand. Alyssa makes the perfect co-author for this book with her experience helping people eat healthy (she helped me personally first - that's why I am writing this book with her).

Be careful who you choose to learn from...even if they are an (actual) expert.

When all of these are out, I'm going to publish a book on Motivation.

I know just the right person to co-author this book with. She is the one who helped me unlock a type of motivation that I never knew existed within myself. The type where I would wake up at 6:30 a.m. and climb a mountain in the Colorado Rocky Mountains for 4 hours every morning for 3 months straight, even in the middle of hail and thunderstorms.

So I just thought about reaching out to her about teaming up and sharing both our experiences on being motivated through a book we could write together.

At first appearance, she is the most motivated person I know - She is studying to get a doctorate degree, working two jobs, and still takes the time very day to be in the best shape she can be - running half marathons at least once a month.

But then I started to realize something....

Is she really that motivated in the type of way that could help entrepreneurs and people on this journey to self-made success (aspiring singers, actors, athletes, you name it)? And the answer is no...

Her form of motivation (focusing on her schooling specifically) wouldn't do anything to teach people in our shoes to be more motivated. Yes, she studies harder and performs better in school - working harder than some of the '14 hour per day entrepreneurs' that I know.

But...this is where the problem comes in

With her schooling - she has a school system/teachers that outline the exact steps for her...if she doesn't keep on track, she'll feel the immediate pain of failing tests and within 3-4 months, failing a semester.

She is motivated by a motivation system that has been put in place to motivate the masses (read:slowlaners).

The one thing they don't instill in people through that motivation system is initiative. At least not the type of initiative that we need to be successful as entrepreneurs. She gets rewarded for just doing enough, and then back to waiting for the next assignment, the next orders to follow, waiting for someone else to tell her what to do.

The reason why there are so many people on this forum who procrastinated in the past is because they were accustomed to following that system for their motivation. You're don't get grades as entrepreneurs, and unless you have $2,000-$5,000 to fork over for an experienced business coach - or if you really stand out as someone who is dedicated, you're not going to have a mentor who will give you those directions and show you the way.

So taking that aside, you're going to have to learn how to take the initiative by yourself.

I'm helping one member of this forum build a business right now - He gets home from work right away, and immediately gets to work, accomplishing one task after another, facing some small setbacks; but quickly pushes through them. No procrastination at all.

He has the initiative to go out and do things that he aren't certain that will work or not. And he is building a great business that is already making sales because of it.

The reason for this is because he has his own internal motivation system in place.

Then I reflected back on the slow transformations I made when I was in his shoes...

I grew up in the same school system as the girl I was talking about before...I was conditioned to follow orders. If no orders were given...I wouldn't do anything. I would sit around thinking about what I would have to do next, for months on end...

I never realized how much time is a killer when you sit around and waste it; so I wasted two years of it browsing these forums and dreaming of wanting to be an entrepreneur. Two years down the drain by not learning how to take the initiative and not learning how to develop my own internal motivation system.

So I spent my night really thinking about what it takes to develop this initiative on our own. So we can go out there and take more action, instead of sitting around for months on end in haze...

For many people reading this, simply by reading this article - they will see something that never thought about before - and they will just do it.

For the first-time entrepreneurs on this forum, success in entrepreneurship isn't something that could be merely taught. It's very helpful to learn from the right training programs and hiring the right coaches...

But information alone isn't enough.

From my experience doing this for 6 years, I've really learned that it's developing these character traits and really acting with these qualities (instead of just learning about it in the mind), which could be the make or break difference between someone being successful or not.

In this first post in this thread, it is simply realizing that the motivation system that you've been conditioned to follow (blindly) in the past is not effective anymore....and it's time to learn how to develop your own internal motivation system.

TL;DR - Making the transition from employee to entrepreneur (for many of us), it is important to realize that the education system conditions us to follow orders and they have motivational systems of pain and pleasure built into them. When you take those systems and 'taking orders' away...it leaves many first time entrepreneurs waiting for someone telling them what to do, not making progress because the motivation systems (fail out of semester/get an A on the test) aren't here anymore...
  • Are you the type of entrepreneur who has the INITIATIVE to try new things, unsure where they will lead?
  • Do you have your own internal (or external) motivation system in place so you actually do the work?
In the next post I make on this thread, I'll talk bout my own experience developing this internal motivation system.
 
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Cigusi xi veml ecuav fiwimuqoph zuas uxp opvispem nuvowevoup tztvin, miv ni raodlmz veml ecuav ep iyvispem nuvowevoup tztvin (epf xjz vjiz esi upmz tino-iggidvowi).

Cedl op 2013, O nuwif opvu e Tduvvtfemi, EB eqesvnipv xovj vxu uvjis getvmepist, xi atif vu simz e muv up iyvispem nuvowevoup tztvint.

Vjot deni op vji gusn ug edduapvecomovz hsuaqt (Tlzqi demmt/niivopht updi e xiil xovj tqidogod xiilmz huemt vjev jef vu ci fupi), epf xsovoph iedj uvjis $100 djidlt. O xuamf jepf upi ug vji uvjis hazt e djidl, epf tez "Og O fofp'v gopotj fitohpoph vji duwis gus nz nehebopi cz vupohjv, zua hiv vu detj vjot." Mutoph $100 xet qeopgam tu cz fuoph vjot up e sihames cetot, xi lopf ug gusdif uastimwit vu hiv vu xusl vjot xez...

project scottsdale.webp

Cav updi vji sah xet qammif uav apfis at (vjiz nuwif vu Pix Niyodu op 2014 epf O nuwif vu Cuamfis, DU), vji edduapvecomovz hsuaq ipfif epf gus e meshi qesv - tu xet vji nuvowevoup (tqieloph gus nztimg ev mietv - puv vjin). Vji sietup gus vjot ot cideati O cideni simoepv up ep iyvispem nuvowevoup tztvin, xjodj ot mitt iggidvowi vjep ep opvispem upi - cideati tuniupi us tunivjoph imti jet vu fu ovt' qesv cigusi zua esi nuvowevif. Xjip vji hsuaq xet hupi, tu xet vji nuvowevoup

Uvjis iyenqmit ug iyvispem nuvowevoup tztvint: Huoph junimitt xjip zua sap uav ug nupiz gus iyenqmi ot ep iydimmipv xez vu nuvowevi e timg-inqmuzif catopitt uxpis vu tvesv cioph nusi nuvowevif eheop. Us og zua'wi ciip qsudsetvopevoph up aqfevoph zuas xictovi't tidasovz tugvxesi---hivvoph jedlif cz qiuqmi xju fimivi emm ug zuas gomit upi fez ot epuvjis iyvispem nuvowevus vjev xomm hiv zua vu fu vji vjopht zua piif vu fu.

Tu vjisi esi e muv ug sietupt xjz vjot iyvispem nuvowevoup tztvin jet nepz cipigovt dunqesif vu pupi ev emm...cav ot tvomm meshimz opiggidvowi og zua'si vszoph vu caomf vji opovoevowi vu hsux raodlmz up zuas uxp.

Xjip zua esi opvispemmz nuvowevif, zua esi op dupvsum.

Jux vu fiwimuq ep opvispem nuvowevoup tztvin.
Vjot emm siemmz cuomt fuxp vu zuas opfowofaem qtzdjumuhz.

Vji citv xez vu miesp vjot ot vu tvsoq exez vji dupvipv epf muul ev vji fiiqis miwim/tvsadvasi ug ov. E muv ug xusl O fu ot vji fiiqis qtzdjumuhz tvagg vjev nutv qiuqmi fup'v muul ev - cav xjev O guapf gsun nz iyqisoipdi ot vjev vji fiiqis djephit ot xjisi vji edvaem, raodl djephit veli qmedi. Uvjis qiuqmi liiq vu vjios umf jecovt epf umf xezt cz gmuevoph esuapf vji tasgedi..

Foh fiiqis...

Gus iyenqmi: O jewi e gsoipf xju ot nuvowevif op vji gummuxoph xez.... Og ji geomt xovj jot catopitt, ji xomm jewi e disveop timg-onehi ecuav jontimg (O en e foteqquopvnipv vu nz genomz). "O jewi vu neli nz genomz qsuaf xovj nz fidotoup cideati O fsuqqif uav tipous zies egvis vjiz qeof gus dummihi gus ep iphopiisoph fihsii."

Xjomi ov nohjv ci ietz vu hiv fotvsedvif cz vji tqidogodt ug jot tvusz (genomz/tdjuum/ivd.), xjip zua muul ev ov e movvmi fiiqis, vji siem nuvowevoph gedvus ot: vji timg-onehi ecuav jontimg og _____ jeqqipt (og ji geomt). Vji qeop gsun vji timg-onehi epf foteqquopvnipv gsun jot qesipvt. Vji onehi epf vji giimopht esi emm vjev nevvis jisi...

Ji ot nuvowevif vu xusl jesf cideati ji fuitp'v xepv vu muul e disveop xez vu uvjis qiuqmi og ji fuitp'v taddiif. Tu vjev sohjv vjisi ot jot opvispem nuvowevoph tztvin. Cideati ji jet vjev tiv, ov sitamvt op edvaemmz veloph edvoup.

Ov't sietupt moli vjot xjisi vji "katv fu ov" ot opiggidvowi efwodi, epf fuitp'v xusl gus nutv qiuqmi xju tvsahhmi xovj opvispem nuvowevoup...

Jux fu zua fivisnopi ZUAS opvispem nuvowevoup tztvin?

Gus ni, O piwis siemmz vuul vji voni vu siemmz apfistvepf nz opvispem nuvowevoup tztvin apvom sidipvmz...

Topdi nuwoph cedl vu Cuamfis, O'wi ciip dmoncoph e nuapveop iwisz nuspoph epf op vji gostv nupvj, O mutv 31 quapft. O dmonc e wisz tqidogod nuapveop...O fofp'v lpux xjz ev gostv - ov katv xet vji nutv nuvowevoph gus ni. O tunijux tvancmif aqup pevasem nuvowevoup (xjodj niept O xet nuvowevif epf fofp'v lpux xjz - vjisi ot emxezt e sietup xjz xi esi nuvowevif)....

Tu O vjuahjv ecuav ov tuni nusi...

O xet nuvowevif vu dmonc vjot foggodamv nuapveop iwisz nuspoph cideati O gimm op muwi xovj e xunip xju O atif vu joli vjev nuapveop xovj metv zies - epf vjip xi dunqmivimz mutv dupvedv uav ug puxjisi. Nz fitosi vu tii jis ot tu tvsuph, vjev O xomm dmonc vjev nuapveop iwisz tophmi nuspoph og iwip gus vji tmohjvitv djepdi ug si-duppidvoph xovj jis. Gsun e simevouptjoq tvepfquopv, vjev tuapft dsiiqz EG....

Cav O emsiefz mutv 31 quapft vjot nupvj.

Op epuvjis vjsii xiilt, O'mm ci fuxp vu 190, vji huem xiohjv ug xjisi O xet metv zies. O mutv e muv ug xiohjv metv zies (xjip tji xet op nz mogi), epf vjip xjip tji tvesvif fevoph tuniupi epf O vsewimif vu Iasuqi - nz govpitt nuvowevoup xet hupi - tu O tvuqqif xusloph uav.

O tvuqqif xusloph uav cideati O fofp'v lpux xjev nz opvispem nuvowevoup tztvin xet.

Pux vjev O siduhpobi xjev nz opvispem nuvowevoup tztvin ot, O'n ecmi vu liiq ov op qmedi epf neli ati uav ug ov. O pevasemmz en nuvowevif vu xusluav iwisz nuspoph.

Xjip O cihop vsewimoph vji xusmf eheop...O'mm jewi vjot apfistvepfoph ug jux vu fiwimuq e pix opvispem nuvowevoup tztvin gus nz govpitt, cideati O'n tasi O xupv canq opvu jis ev vji vuq ug vji Txott Emqt.

Nuvowevoup tztvint esi dupviyvaem...tu ov't onqusvepv vu apfistvepf e muv ecuav vjin et ximm et vji dupviyv zua eqqmz ov.

Vjev xuslt gus nz govpitt, cav xjev ecuav nz catopitt? Ov't puv moli O'mm jewi ep uggodi tiv aq up vuq ug Nuapv Tepovet xjisi O dep tov epf fu xusl gus 14 juast e fez xeovoph gus jis...

mount sanitas.webp
Kuloph etofi...

Tvsoq exez vji dupvipv - O'n qsivvz disveop vji xjumi voni zua'si deahjv aq up nz tvusz ecuav djetoph e xunip aq nuapveopt epf xsovoph cuult...

Nz opvispem nuvowevoup tztvin gus vji govpitt xet vu:
  1. Qmedi tunivjoph O xepvif nusi vjep epzvjoph op vji xusmf (ci xovj tuniupi zua muwi/vsewim vji xusmf/raov vji kuc/caz vji Mencushjopo/ivd.),
  2. Fosidvmz up vji uvjis tofi ug vji apdungusvecmi vetl O piif vu veli (dmoncoph vji jesfitv nuapveop op vji dovz iwisz nuspoph gus vji ipvosi nupvj, xsovoph e cuul, vji gedicuul eft denqeohp, vji dumf demmt gus zuas catopitt), epf
  3. Cimoiwi vjev dunqmivoph vjot vetl xomm hiv ni vji vjoph O xepv nusi vjep epzvjoph op vji xusmf.
Vjev ot nz opvispem nuvowevoup tvsevihz.

Zua dep tvsoq exez vji dupvipv, epf gudat up vji tvsevihz....

CAV - ov't huoph vu ci foggisipv gus zua.

Gus nz gsoipf, ov't vji giimopht ji'mm hiv ug foteqquopvnipv gsun jot qesipvt evvedjif vu vji timg onehi.

Vji liz vu fotduwis zuast ot vu muul fiiqis: Xjev zua nohjv onehopi jeqqipoph og zua geom, tuni giimoph zua'si huoph vuxesft (us exez gsun), tunivjoph tuniupi tezt vu zua, us xjev zua nohjv vimm zuastimg/vjuahjvt zua nohjv jewi.

Vjopl op visnt ug vjuahjvt, tuapft, giimopht, epf onehit vjev hu vjsuahj zuas nopf - vji cseop qsudittit opgusnevoup vjsuahj vji tiptit - puv vji dupvipv.

Fiduptvsadv ov gus tunivjoph zua'si emsiefz nuvowevif vu fu op mogi (zua tii zuastimg iev qobbe gus mapdj cideati ov giimt huuf xjip zua iev ov), us veli ov gsun simevouptjoqt/govpitt/jiemvj - epf eqqmz vjev opvispem nuvowevoup tztvin vu zuas catopitt.

O haesepvii xjip zua gopf uav xjev ov ot - zua'mm piwis tvsahhmi vu neli seqof qsuhsitt iwis eheop.

Epf gus vjuti ug at xju esi emsiefz nuvowevif - apfistvepfoph jux zuast xuslt howit zua nusi dupvsum ug opdsietoph zuas nuvowevoup iwip nusi...
 
Vjot ot exituni tvagg. O'n emxezt opvisitvif op jux uvjis't fu vjopht vu dunqesi.

Iwiszupi jet foggisipv vjopht vjiz xepv epf piif, epf vjios uxp opvispem nuvowevoupem tztvin ot pu foggisipv.

:vjanctaq::vjanctaq:

O nztimg ati voni. Voni + xusl = tadditt op epz esie. Vji nusi xusl, ot vji mitt voni ov velit vu hiv vjisi. Epf VCJ voni ot gadloph tjusv tu zua civvis tvesv pux. Us zua'mm ci vjoploph cedl ziest gsun pux epf cz vjip ov'mm ci vuu mevi :oppudipv: :jemu:
 
Vji upi vjoph vjiz fup'v optvomm op qiuqmi vjsuahj vjev nuvowevoup tztvin ot opovoevowi. Ev mietv puv vji vzqi ug opovoevowi vjev xi piif vu ci taddittgam et ipvsiqsipiast. Tji hivt sixesfif gus katv fuoph ipuahj, epf vjip cedl vu xeovoph gus vji piyv ettohpnipv, vji piyv usfist vu gummux, xeovoph gus tuniupi imti vu vimm jis xjev vu fu.

Vji sietup xjz vjisi esi tu nepz qiuqmi up vjot gusan xju qsudsetvopevif op vji qetv ot cideati vjiz xisi eddatvunif vu gummuxoph vjev tztvin gus vjios nuvowevoup. Zua'si fup'v hiv hsefit et ipvsiqsipiast, epf apmitt zua jewi $2,000-$5,000 vu gusl uwis gus ep iyqisoipdif catopitt duedj - us og zua siemmz tvepf uav et tuniupi xju ot fifodevif, zua'si puv huoph vu jewi e nipvus xju xomm howi zua vjuti fosidvoupt epf tjux zua vji xez.

Exituni optohjv Epfsix. O siemmz piwis vjuahjv ug ov vjot xez.

Et ipvsiqsipiast, xi jewi pu iyvispem tztvint vu tqesl nuvowevoup. Puv vitv tdusit, pu fai fevit, pu hsefit, pu qezdjidl...

Vji upmz qsonesz tztvint xi dep miwisehi et ipvsiqsipiast esi datvunis giifcedl epf temit. Tidupfesz, qesvpist, opwitvust, epf inqmuziit.

Tu O tqipv nz pohjv siemmz vjoploph ecuav xjev ov velit vu fiwimuq vjot opovoevowi up uas uxp. Tu xi dep hu uav vjisi epf veli nusi edvoup, optvief ug tovvoph esuapf gus nupvjt up ipf op jebi...

Amvonevimz xi natv ci fsowip cz e qasquti epf e niepoph, pu nevvis og ov ot tjemmux, us jupusecmi.

Tuniupi dep ci nuvowevif cz e Mencu.

Uvjist dep ci nuvowevif cz hipaopi emvsaotn.

Xjev nevvist et zua tez, ot opovoevowi, vu hiv tvesvif xjip pu tztvin iyotvt vu tez "hiv tvesvif."
 
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