11 Simple philosophies that could change your life
Internet entrepreneur Neil Patel shared 11 simple philosophies that changed his entrepreneurial life in a recent blog.
I’ve found some of the best lessons I’ve learned are the simple ones.
I’m still a voracious learner and if I haven’t learned something new by lunchtime every day I’ve had a bad day.
I think the lessons Neil shares will benefit, business people, entrepreneurs, and property investors.
Enjoy…
1. Don’t make excuses, make improvements
In most cases, things won’t work out the way you want them to.
From missing revenue projections to launching your product on time, and even getting sued for silly little things.
It’s natural to make excuses for why things didn’t go the way you wanted.
But that won’t do you any good because it won’t solve your problems.
Instead of making excuses focus on solving the problems.
They probably won’t get fixed right away, but as long as you are making improvements you’ll eventually get there.
2. Don’t stop when you’re tired, stop when you’re done
You’re going to get tired of being an entrepreneur and you’ll probably even get burned out… especially when things aren’t going well.
What’s helped me succeed over the years is that I am persistent.
It doesn’t matter whether I am exhausted, or if I feel that I’ve put enough hours in the day, I just don’t ever stop until things are done.
The moment you stop is the day you fail.
As long as you keep on chugging along, eventually, you will accomplish your goals.
3. Honesty is a very expensive gift, do not expect it from cheap people
As an entrepreneur, you are going to have to look to other people for feedback and advice.
Over the years I’ve learned that not all advice is equal, as some people give better advice than others.
The best advice you are ever going to get is the truth.
The truth may hurt, but it will save you time and money.
Just don’t expect the truth from people who care about saving your feelings.
That won’t help you accomplish your goals, it will just put you back.
4. Work hard in silence and keep your success to yourself
When I started to do somewhat well I wanted to show off.
Tell people about my successes, buy fancy objects to show off to friends, and tell the world how “I made it”.
In the long run, buying materialistic objects didn’t make me happy.
And telling people about my success just caused people to think I was arrogant and even worse it caused more competitors.
Don’t worry about telling people about your success, as it won’t do you any good.
Just focus on your work and keep your mouth shut because the last thing you need is more competitors.
5. Don’t get sidetracked by people who are not on track
It’s easy to get sidetracked, especially by other people.
If you don’t focus on your core business model, you’ll find yourself spinning your wheels and getting nowhere.
One of the best ways to avoid this is to not let people who don’t have their life together affect your business decisions.
If you want to do well, you need to start hanging out with like-minded people.
By being around people who have their life together and are successful, you are less likely to get sidetracked.
6. Behind every successful person are a lot of unsuccessful years
When people look at what I have accomplished, most of the time they feel that I’ve done it over the last few years.
What they forget to realise is that I have been an entrepreneur for over 10 years.
And during that 10-year period, I’ve lost millions of dollars, made more mistakes than I can count, and put in countless hours into my businesses.
Most entrepreneurs don’t strike it rich with their first startup… a lot of people fail before they succeed.
So as long as you keep pushing forward as an entrepreneur, your odds of succeeding will go up over time.
7. Live in such a way that if someone spoke badly of you, no one would believe it
Businesses come and go, but the one thing you should protect more than anything else is your reputation.
Your reputation affects any new business ventures or a job you may try to get later down the road.
Treat your reputation as if it is more valuable than gold.
Always help others out, and never speak badly about other people.
Be so kind and helpful that if someone spoke badly about you, no one would believe them.
8. Sometimes when you follow your dream, it opens the door for others to be able to follow theirs
Entrepreneurship isn’t just about you.
You won’t be able to fulfil your dreams without the help of other people.
As you are following your dreams, make sure you don’t forget about the people who helped you get there.
Find out what their dreams and goals are and help them accomplish them.
My business partner and I have continually helped all of our team members reach their dreams over the last ten years and this has also helped us retain most of our valuable team members.
This is important because it is really hard to find good talent… so you might as well take care of them.
9. Just because you are struggling does not mean you are failing
Every great success requires some kind of struggle.
Nothing worthwhile is easy, so don’t expect your entrepreneurial career to be easy.
You’re going to have to work hard, fight through the tough times and keep pushing forward.
If being an entrepreneur was so easy and it didn’t require any hardship, everyone would be one.
So when you are struggling, don’t give up, keep pushing forward until you see a light at the end of the tunnel.
10. The hardest thing to open is a closed mind
No matter how good of a salesman you are, some people just don’t want to hear you talk.
They have a closed mind and they feel that they know everything.
You could try to be persistent with people like this, but I’ve found that the hardest thing to open is a closed mind.
You’re going to be strapped for time as an entrepreneur… especially when you are just starting out because you won’t have much cash or people to help you.
So instead of wasting my time, I just move on.
So do yourself a favour and don’t waste your time with people who are closed minds.
11. If you help people get what they want, you can get what you want
The lesson that took me the longest to learn is that you have to help people out to get what you want.
Business is all about relationships and you can’t keep asking people for favours without repaying them.
Over the years I’ve learned that if I help people out, they will go the extra mile to help me out.
And if you help people without expecting anything in return, people will go an extra 10 miles to help you.
Keep paying it forward by helping everyone out there… no matter how big or small they may be.
Sooner or later the universe will pay it back tenfold.
My thoughts
There are some great philosophies here.
Are there any philosophies that you follow?
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