Yeah, I am. That's what's pissing me off. If I could bust out the productivity that I used to, I'd already be 6 mo ahead of schedule and the profits would reflect that.
Let's talk about getting comfortable...
- Thread starter Michael_
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Yeah, I am. That's what's pissing me off. If I could bust out the productivity that I used to, I'd already be 6 mo ahead of schedule and the profits would reflect that.
You should read http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/...e-unique-powers-of-the-twentysomething-brain/. It's from Art of Manliness. It's a good read with scientific explanation of why this is happening to you. You'll find your answer here.
This is your problem. Failing fast is a great philosophy, but you have to remember to change things up every time - otherwise you end up in a situation that you're in right now.
I've been where you are today and what finally got me going again was:
1. Decided that I wanted to change things up and moved to a random country with only about $2000 to my name and no serious income.
2. Went broke. Had to think fast and get monies. Started hustling to survive from day to day.
3. Once day to day living expenses were covered I basically decided no more of this old shit and went with something completely new. I know that this is vague, but yeah...
Good luck
Have you learned from your mistakes/failures? They're of no value unless the next time out the idea/iteration of the idea evolves.
Outline a specific failure you've made. You don't have to give the details of the project, but explain why you failed. Maybe someone on here will shed some light as to why you've failed and perhaps even showcase some learning that you might have missed from the experience.
I think you have grown to associate hard work and grinding with success. They are so closely linked together from your experience than you cannot even fathom that it is possible to achieve success otherwise.
My experience have been some what different. I found that in many cases when I tried to force events to happen way too quickly, and things didn't progress that well. On the other hard, when I would do my work, but not be too anxious with the way things work out, I would get great rewards.
Now make no mistake, effort is required, sometimes tremendous effort, but grinding without intelligence is a very slow process.
So what am I trying to say here? Do not make any belief or concept too rigid in your head. Try to cultivate an ability to see things from a distance. You will find that you have a capacity to agree with both seemingly opposite ways of looking at things. It is very liberating.
Even extremely powerful concepts such as "fail as fast you can" are not ultimate truth. It can work in 90 cases out of 100, but still might fail. So do not give your alliance to any of such things. Use them when they are useful, drop them when they are not.
Another thing is that reading your post it seems like you lack confidence, since perhaps you haven't hit it big for a long time?
Realize that you are your ultimate judge. You decide if you perceive yourself as successful or so-so. What is it even to perceive yourself as successful? Is it always keeping in your mind things that you have achieved and money you have made? No, true confidence is uncaused and is just a feeling of "groundedness" or "centeredness" in your own self. This confidence is not based on anything that you might call "mine". It is not something you possess. It is not your skillset, your achievements, your savings. It is just there, always there, sometimes overshadowed by the cloud of thoughts.
So what is it then? From my own experience, it is more like this feeling that no matter what life throws at you, you can handle it. Any situation is okay. If situation requires your reaction, you can adequately do so.Also just because you are not like when you were 20 years old, doesn't mean anything. Throw out all the non-sense about alpha/beta/delta/gamma/omega out of your mind. Perhaps it is time to learn to delegate tasks, like others have mentioned. I doubt you rank doing the actual work and grinding really highly on your list of things to do.
TLDR version:
1) grinding != success
2) learn to use ideas/concepts and not be limited by them, look at everything from the widest perspective possible.
3) Cultivate being confident in yourself in a calm and natural way. Not based on ego and its "achievements".
4) Everything changes, including you. Learn to adapt. Perhaps, delegate tasks rather than doing boring work yourself.
My experience have been some what different. I found that in many cases when I tried to force events to happen way too quickly, and things didn't progress that well. On the other hard, when I would do my work, but not be too anxious with the way things work out, I would get great rewards.
Now make no mistake, effort is required, sometimes tremendous effort, but grinding without intelligence is a very slow process.
So what am I trying to say here? Do not make any belief or concept too rigid in your head. Try to cultivate an ability to see things from a distance. You will find that you have a capacity to agree with both seemingly opposite ways of looking at things. It is very liberating.
Even extremely powerful concepts such as "fail as fast you can" are not ultimate truth. It can work in 90 cases out of 100, but still might fail. So do not give your alliance to any of such things. Use them when they are useful, drop them when they are not.
Another thing is that reading your post it seems like you lack confidence, since perhaps you haven't hit it big for a long time?
Realize that you are your ultimate judge. You decide if you perceive yourself as successful or so-so. What is it even to perceive yourself as successful? Is it always keeping in your mind things that you have achieved and money you have made? No, true confidence is uncaused and is just a feeling of "groundedness" or "centeredness" in your own self. This confidence is not based on anything that you might call "mine". It is not something you possess. It is not your skillset, your achievements, your savings. It is just there, always there, sometimes overshadowed by the cloud of thoughts.
So what is it then? From my own experience, it is more like this feeling that no matter what life throws at you, you can handle it. Any situation is okay. If situation requires your reaction, you can adequately do so.Also just because you are not like when you were 20 years old, doesn't mean anything. Throw out all the non-sense about alpha/beta/delta/gamma/omega out of your mind. Perhaps it is time to learn to delegate tasks, like others have mentioned. I doubt you rank doing the actual work and grinding really highly on your list of things to do.
TLDR version:
1) grinding != success
2) learn to use ideas/concepts and not be limited by them, look at everything from the widest perspective possible.
3) Cultivate being confident in yourself in a calm and natural way. Not based on ego and its "achievements".
4) Everything changes, including you. Learn to adapt. Perhaps, delegate tasks rather than doing boring work yourself.
What drives you? What is your motivation?
For me it's changed as i've gotten older. As a teen it was simply a case of getting enough money to move out of the small town i was born and raised in. In my early 20's it was proving to myself that i can make it on my own. Mid to late 20's it was all about my pride and keeping up with the Jones's.
For the last 10yrs, my motivation and drive has been fueled by my responsibilities - i have a wife and two kids to support (another one on the way!!), 2 elderly parents to care for and nearly 100 employees who all depend on me... that's a lot of mouths to feed and a lot of pressure to keep going no matter what it takes!
But i wouldn't have it any other way. I've been working non-stop for the best part of 20yrs now and like every other entrepreneur, i've also had my ups and downs. 3 months ago was the first time i've ever felt 'burn out'. Thoughts of "I'm not 21yrs old amymore, i can't keep going on like this" crept into my mind... so i booked a flight to Barcelona and disappeared for a few days to get away from it all. That didn't really work for me, so i came back, took my kids out of school for 10days and flew the family to Dubai for a week. I came back refreshed and ready to go again.
One word... RESPONSIBILITY!!
I'll ask you again... What drives you? What is your motivation?
For me it's changed as i've gotten older. As a teen it was simply a case of getting enough money to move out of the small town i was born and raised in. In my early 20's it was proving to myself that i can make it on my own. Mid to late 20's it was all about my pride and keeping up with the Jones's.
For the last 10yrs, my motivation and drive has been fueled by my responsibilities - i have a wife and two kids to support (another one on the way!!), 2 elderly parents to care for and nearly 100 employees who all depend on me... that's a lot of mouths to feed and a lot of pressure to keep going no matter what it takes!
But i wouldn't have it any other way. I've been working non-stop for the best part of 20yrs now and like every other entrepreneur, i've also had my ups and downs. 3 months ago was the first time i've ever felt 'burn out'. Thoughts of "I'm not 21yrs old amymore, i can't keep going on like this" crept into my mind... so i booked a flight to Barcelona and disappeared for a few days to get away from it all. That didn't really work for me, so i came back, took my kids out of school for 10days and flew the family to Dubai for a week. I came back refreshed and ready to go again.
One word... RESPONSIBILITY!!
I'll ask you again... What drives you? What is your motivation?
You are not going to be able to sustain 36-hours days, and it looks like your body/mind are trying to let you know that!
The thing to understand is that you need a certain amount of rest in order to sustain productivity. You need to learn to pace yourself, life is a marathon not a sprint.
My advice - take a few days off and do absolutely nothing. Don't think about work at all, just chill. You'll find at the end of it your brain is sharp again, and you'll have fresh ideas and energy to get stuff done. Every time you feel sluggish/in a rut - instead of pushing harder, take some time off, replenish those reserves, and you'll be good again. People arn't robots.
The thing to understand is that you need a certain amount of rest in order to sustain productivity. You need to learn to pace yourself, life is a marathon not a sprint.
My advice - take a few days off and do absolutely nothing. Don't think about work at all, just chill. You'll find at the end of it your brain is sharp again, and you'll have fresh ideas and energy to get stuff done. Every time you feel sluggish/in a rut - instead of pushing harder, take some time off, replenish those reserves, and you'll be good again. People arn't robots.
Sustainable long term effort is worth way more than bursts of concentrated erratic energy. So.. think of it this way: for as long as you keep working consistently it's all good.
LOLOL
Fuck all this "Glandular" and "Art of Manliness" Bullshit. You're being replied to mostly by people in the age group you're reminiscing about.
You're getting OLD, mate.
For the same reasons old folks usually don't take up high-wire walking or invest in vehicles requiring a 30 year time horizon to yield is a combination of:
A) Risk Aversion;
B) An ever more apparent sense of your own Mortality.
Once not long ago, I would hop on my kids skateboard and take a plunge down a hill even though I'm a horrible skater- but now I consider the effects of a broken hip, and the long term repercussions of same.
Likewise, I have magical ideas all the time for new and exciting ways to make cashola, but then...
Experience, wisdom, and sheer laziness kicks in, and I consider the amount of time and effort it would take to bring them to market, and they usually get shit-canned unless I see a clear and compelling path to early and "Lifestyle-Changing" profit..
tl;dr, You are getting older & smarter.
Fuck all this "Glandular" and "Art of Manliness" Bullshit. You're being replied to mostly by people in the age group you're reminiscing about.
You're getting OLD, mate.
For the same reasons old folks usually don't take up high-wire walking or invest in vehicles requiring a 30 year time horizon to yield is a combination of:
A) Risk Aversion;
B) An ever more apparent sense of your own Mortality.
Once not long ago, I would hop on my kids skateboard and take a plunge down a hill even though I'm a horrible skater- but now I consider the effects of a broken hip, and the long term repercussions of same.
Likewise, I have magical ideas all the time for new and exciting ways to make cashola, but then...
Experience, wisdom, and sheer laziness kicks in, and I consider the amount of time and effort it would take to bring them to market, and they usually get shit-canned unless I see a clear and compelling path to early and "Lifestyle-Changing" profit..
tl;dr, You are getting older & smarter.
You havnt written down a 5 year plan, you havnt identified your goals, you dont have a budget, you have a weak reward system.
Ive been self employed since 95' and dangling a carrot in front of myself is good motivation. Ive in the past year begun setting short term and long term goals. Ive begun to write down everything I want from this life. I am probably never going to fight in the UFC, but I wrote it down lulz.
All I got pal.
Ive been self employed since 95' and dangling a carrot in front of myself is good motivation. Ive in the past year begun setting short term and long term goals. Ive begun to write down everything I want from this life. I am probably never going to fight in the UFC, but I wrote it down lulz.
All I got pal.
I can tell you for sure that losing absolutely everything you ever built is quite some motivation to fire up those 'young' work ethics.
The most important thing though is that when you start again you do so with the knowledge of what happened previously in the front of your mind and make sure you understand the root cause of previous mistakes and not just the outcomes and consequences.
The most important thing though is that when you start again you do so with the knowledge of what happened previously in the front of your mind and make sure you understand the root cause of previous mistakes and not just the outcomes and consequences.
One of the factors that push me into procrastination, not mentioned here, is knowing I deal with deadbeats.
The nuisance and problems that come forth by dealing with someone who cannot keep up his part of the deal. False promises, delays, poor delivery, avoidance.
It gives me headache and causes problems I need to fix.
When I am sick of it all it is most often c)
If that sounds like your, or one of your problems you know what to do.
Get rid of the deadbeats dragging you down. They're like a rock on your leg while you are swimming in a river.
For the past month I'm writing a personal book where I jolt down all the "life's lessons" I should pay attention to.
If this, then that
If client is a nuisance, ditch him.
If employee is taking long time, ditch him.
If I'm watching movies, stop watching and go out and about
If I'm feeling down, do this and that...
Point is to keep me in the same, high productive and full of energy mind state. It is easy to forget and lose your shit when you're being down. This booklet serves as a "entrepreneurs guide to the business-y). Try it. Maybe it works for you.
Best of success Michael!
You may also take a look at this link Forbes - 23 Things Every Entrepreneur Must Know
Found it interesting and on-par myself.
The nuisance and problems that come forth by dealing with someone who cannot keep up his part of the deal. False promises, delays, poor delivery, avoidance.
It gives me headache and causes problems I need to fix.
To avoid id I can:
a) find someone else to work with (which is a nuisance it is own cause you need to sift through all the shit yet again);
b) keep up with the current deadbeat and tolerate his bullshit
c) do nothing at all
a) find someone else to work with (which is a nuisance it is own cause you need to sift through all the shit yet again);
b) keep up with the current deadbeat and tolerate his bullshit
c) do nothing at all
When I am sick of it all it is most often c)
If that sounds like your, or one of your problems you know what to do.
Get rid of the deadbeats dragging you down. They're like a rock on your leg while you are swimming in a river.
For the past month I'm writing a personal book where I jolt down all the "life's lessons" I should pay attention to.
If this, then that
If client is a nuisance, ditch him.
If employee is taking long time, ditch him.
If I'm watching movies, stop watching and go out and about
If I'm feeling down, do this and that...
Point is to keep me in the same, high productive and full of energy mind state. It is easy to forget and lose your shit when you're being down. This booklet serves as a "entrepreneurs guide to the business-y). Try it. Maybe it works for you.
Best of success Michael!
You may also take a look at this link Forbes - 23 Things Every Entrepreneur Must Know
Found it interesting and on-par myself.
I think this is a mix bag of answers for your question OP.
Your talking about drive and how to get it back so you need to look at what could be taking drive away.
First of all, this could all be mental/health related. I am 35 and have 3 kids and have been thru a hell of a lot. Im currently overweight too and take poor care of myself. This was not the case when I was 25.
Go to the doctor and get a complete checkup with your blood work with testosterone levels. Make sure your health is good before you do anything else. If your in poor health, get that fixed before doing anything else, same with T levels and everything else.
Start exercising
Once you get this under control, then follow the advice of the others above me. Start breaking down tasks into chunks and getting rewards and setting proper plans and mixing up your life. None of the above will help you if you have a health issue though.
Think about it, then hit me up.
Your talking about drive and how to get it back so you need to look at what could be taking drive away.
First of all, this could all be mental/health related. I am 35 and have 3 kids and have been thru a hell of a lot. Im currently overweight too and take poor care of myself. This was not the case when I was 25.
Go to the doctor and get a complete checkup with your blood work with testosterone levels. Make sure your health is good before you do anything else. If your in poor health, get that fixed before doing anything else, same with T levels and everything else.
Start exercising
Once you get this under control, then follow the advice of the others above me. Start breaking down tasks into chunks and getting rewards and setting proper plans and mixing up your life. None of the above will help you if you have a health issue though.
Think about it, then hit me up.