There's been a lot of times that I've been let down in one way or another.
You'll have customers say one thing directly to your face and then immediately turn around and lie about it.
You'll schedule multiple interviews in one day and will get stood up for both of them. And it will happen again and again.
You'll have employees quit without notice, leaving you to do the work of 2-3 people, maybe even in the pouring rain.
You will get stolen from.
Life will sometimes take a shit in your lap just to see what you'll do.
Most people would rather just blame someone. It's not your responsibility to have an employee show up to work or for anyone else to do things right.
But, at the end of the day, it's still your problem.
It's not enough to just do your job. If you want something special, you're going to have to do everyone else's job too sometimes. You're going to have to put the weight on your back and just do it.
You can say things aren't your fault, and you'd be right. You can still be a loser and still be "correct".
The question is "what are you going to do about it?"
I genuinely want to achieve something. I don't want to just "try". I don't want to have a good excuse. I don't want people to laugh in 3 years and say "Yeah, I was right, he wasn't going to do it. I told you so".
It's not about what other people do, it's about what you choose to do. That's why the other people don't accomplish things. They can't even do the basics. But if you want to win, you'll have to carry extra weight. I used to try to outsmart the work. I would look for a path that had few obstacles. Now I just look directly at the goal and ask "is this wall possible to climb?" and if it is, I do it. I don't count the cost anymore. I already know it's going to take everything I have.
The funny thing is that it's easy to give everything you have. You never lose momentum. You never have to remember where you left off. You just wake up, get to work, do what needs to be done, go to sleep and dream about what you'll need to be doing tomorrow, wake up and do it again 7 days a week until it's done. A week goes by and then a month and then you blink and you're where you need to be. When you try to balance your life you are in a constant state of stopping, starting, losing momentum, and constantly feeling torn between serving many masters. You feel like a kid stuck between two parents; your business and your life. You feel guilty for not growing the business with 100% intensity. You feel guilty for not having enough "self-care".
You need to get comfortable with having different standards and expectations for yourself than for others. Other people will do what they do. They will, just as they always have, and as they will always continue to do. Your own choices are the variable. If you want something special you're going to have to do something special. You may have to do the workload of 3 people. You may have to read hundreds of pages of laws in your industry because you can't afford the lawyer to do it for you yet. You may have to knock on hundreds of doors. You may have to make less money than the people you're paying who have 1/50th of the responsibility. You may have to work through the night for days in a row. That's why some people get what they want and some people say "it would've worked but ____ happened". You have one life. You either get what you want or you don't.
You'll have customers say one thing directly to your face and then immediately turn around and lie about it.
You'll schedule multiple interviews in one day and will get stood up for both of them. And it will happen again and again.
You'll have employees quit without notice, leaving you to do the work of 2-3 people, maybe even in the pouring rain.
You will get stolen from.
Life will sometimes take a shit in your lap just to see what you'll do.
Most people would rather just blame someone. It's not your responsibility to have an employee show up to work or for anyone else to do things right.
But, at the end of the day, it's still your problem.
It's not enough to just do your job. If you want something special, you're going to have to do everyone else's job too sometimes. You're going to have to put the weight on your back and just do it.
You can say things aren't your fault, and you'd be right. You can still be a loser and still be "correct".
The question is "what are you going to do about it?"
I genuinely want to achieve something. I don't want to just "try". I don't want to have a good excuse. I don't want people to laugh in 3 years and say "Yeah, I was right, he wasn't going to do it. I told you so".
It's not about what other people do, it's about what you choose to do. That's why the other people don't accomplish things. They can't even do the basics. But if you want to win, you'll have to carry extra weight. I used to try to outsmart the work. I would look for a path that had few obstacles. Now I just look directly at the goal and ask "is this wall possible to climb?" and if it is, I do it. I don't count the cost anymore. I already know it's going to take everything I have.
The funny thing is that it's easy to give everything you have. You never lose momentum. You never have to remember where you left off. You just wake up, get to work, do what needs to be done, go to sleep and dream about what you'll need to be doing tomorrow, wake up and do it again 7 days a week until it's done. A week goes by and then a month and then you blink and you're where you need to be. When you try to balance your life you are in a constant state of stopping, starting, losing momentum, and constantly feeling torn between serving many masters. You feel like a kid stuck between two parents; your business and your life. You feel guilty for not growing the business with 100% intensity. You feel guilty for not having enough "self-care".
You need to get comfortable with having different standards and expectations for yourself than for others. Other people will do what they do. They will, just as they always have, and as they will always continue to do. Your own choices are the variable. If you want something special you're going to have to do something special. You may have to do the workload of 3 people. You may have to read hundreds of pages of laws in your industry because you can't afford the lawyer to do it for you yet. You may have to knock on hundreds of doors. You may have to make less money than the people you're paying who have 1/50th of the responsibility. You may have to work through the night for days in a row. That's why some people get what they want and some people say "it would've worked but ____ happened". You have one life. You either get what you want or you don't.
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today
