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I first posted a couple years back, and I want to make another go. Although I am not 100% certain, I am FAIRLY confident (85%) I've changed as a person so my ability to withstand difficulty and not immediately fall back into cover at the first signs of failure has greatly improved. I understand this could be interpreted as a sign of buckling already, but if I wait until I'm "100% confident" I will probably be dead by then.
I am the perfect example of a someone who MJ referred to in his "Unscripted " book as one who engaged in "entrepreneurial masturbation." Basically I would theorycraft about [X, Y, and Z] - what it takes to succeed - and come up with elaborate ideas but refused to put them into practice.
A few interesting trivia over the past couple of years:
Problem #1: Distractions
Nintendo Switch, Steam games, etc (I don't watch TV/Netflix)...they're all fun and great until you actually need to get stuff done.
I resolved this problem in two ways.
1) I use a productivity/"site blocker" app that I made a few modifications to. Early on, I found a way to bypass the program despite its "prevent the user from modifying system software settings" option in place.
So yes, I sort of had to "defeat" myself that "overcame" the software's limitations, and it did take a while to figure out the kinks but now I can basically block all the time wasters and not worry about finding some "trick" to navigate around the blocker.
2) I made a pact with myself - I'd set aside a certain number of days (right now I'm aiming for ~2 weeks) every year, sometime in January/Feb, to play to my heart's content. Any other time - the games get stashed into someone's house on Neighbor.com (a cheaper alternative to storage facilities such as Extra Space, etc.)
Problem #2: "How will I pay for stuff?"
Every business from bootstrapped ones to VC funded needs money. Of course this is something MJ addressed in his book at least 3 times, but I basically had a "spoiled brat" view and refused to do those "lowly jobs."
I believe now that my approach - and more importantly, thinking - was wrong, and that those "lowly jobs" (or gigs) will actually be invaluable allies or, at the very minimum, steps to getting my bootstrapped business off.
There's actually an even more valuable lesson here, which is that whenever someone makes suggestions [A, B, C] to solve a problem, and your immediate response is to dismiss those ideas because [D, E, F], then maybe the problem is yourself/your thinking/attitude.
Let me give you another example in the next post.
I am the perfect example of a someone who MJ referred to in his "Unscripted " book as one who engaged in "entrepreneurial masturbation." Basically I would theorycraft about [X, Y, and Z] - what it takes to succeed - and come up with elaborate ideas but refused to put them into practice.
A few interesting trivia over the past couple of years:
Problem #1: Distractions
Nintendo Switch, Steam games, etc (I don't watch TV/Netflix)...they're all fun and great until you actually need to get stuff done.
I resolved this problem in two ways.
1) I use a productivity/"site blocker" app that I made a few modifications to. Early on, I found a way to bypass the program despite its "prevent the user from modifying system software settings" option in place.
So yes, I sort of had to "defeat" myself that "overcame" the software's limitations, and it did take a while to figure out the kinks but now I can basically block all the time wasters and not worry about finding some "trick" to navigate around the blocker.
2) I made a pact with myself - I'd set aside a certain number of days (right now I'm aiming for ~2 weeks) every year, sometime in January/Feb, to play to my heart's content. Any other time - the games get stashed into someone's house on Neighbor.com (a cheaper alternative to storage facilities such as Extra Space, etc.)
Problem #2: "How will I pay for stuff?"
Every business from bootstrapped ones to VC funded needs money. Of course this is something MJ addressed in his book at least 3 times, but I basically had a "spoiled brat" view and refused to do those "lowly jobs."
I believe now that my approach - and more importantly, thinking - was wrong, and that those "lowly jobs" (or gigs) will actually be invaluable allies or, at the very minimum, steps to getting my bootstrapped business off.
There's actually an even more valuable lesson here, which is that whenever someone makes suggestions [A, B, C] to solve a problem, and your immediate response is to dismiss those ideas because [D, E, F], then maybe the problem is yourself/your thinking/attitude.
Let me give you another example in the next post.
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