I feel as though I am at an interesting point in my life/career… I really feel like the next few years and the decisions that I make will define the rest of my career.
When I first got into business it was all about survival. You were the new kid on the block and did anything and everything you could to keep your head above water. You latched on to anyone that would teach, and at this point you had no idea if it was good advice or not because you did not know any better. You acted as though you knew everything because in reality you knew nothing and made the mistake of over compensating and often times came off like a prick and someone that was not easy to work with… At this time you were merely surviving on your hustle and the fact that you wanted it more (ex. Kobe in his younger years.. yes I used a sports analogy). You wanted so badly to change the game… tried so hard to think outside the box when you really had no idea that you had no box to think outside of. A few years go by and you learn more and more, taking in knowledge like a sponge and sifting through the bad advice and retaining the good. With each year that passes you become a little less abrasive and a little easier to work with. At this point things start to click…
You get a few years under your belt, meet some great mentors and accountability partners and things are really starting to take shape. If you are playing your cards right the money is starting to pour in and there seems to be no end to what you can do. You are most likely burning the candle at both ends. You are working long hours, missing time with your friends and family but tell yourself it will all be worth it because you are setting a foundation. You continue to put your head down and grind. You work with any and everyone that comes your way because you view everything as a “transaction” and no matter how unprofessional or difficult people are you still just press on. You should be hiring someone to help you leverage your time but chances are no one has taught you this “side of the business”… You are a small fish in a big pond.
By now you have probably hired an assistant or two, fixed somethings in your business and figured out a way to do what used to take you an hour in 20 minutes. You are now one of two things… bored because you are more efficient and get more work done in less time (my reference to Crossfit) OR you are now busier than ever because you took that extra time you have and brought in even more business… This is about the point that you start to burn out. You fight it because chances are you are making more money than you ever have, you are making a name for yourself so it just doesn’t seem logical that you would be burning out. You press on and continue to do what you do but you have lost the passion. This is a weird place to be, because there is a lot of attention on you, people depend on you, people are asking for help, seeking advice and yet… you feel all alone!!!!
This is when you start to focus on your “end goal”. One of my friends asked me to fill in the blank to the following statement “Hi, my name is Nathan and my life is about __________________.” He hit me with that and I could not answer it. I didn’t answer it that day, that week, or even that month… I thought long and hard about my life and what made me happy and what i TRULY enjoyed doing. Obviously at the top of the list were my wife,kids, family and friends… that part was easy. I was struggling beyond that. I started analyzing my business because let’s be honest, we spend more time at work than we do at home. I realized that I would rather make less money and work with people that I enjoyed working with rather than anyone who came my way. I realized that I wanted to create relationships and really get to know everyone that I worked with outside of work. I figured that if I knew who people were (not who they portrayed but who they really are) then the “business” that we did together would be more like friends creating something unique together… One of my favorite quotes is by Daniel H. Pink “For business it’s no longer enough to create a product that’s reasonably priced and adequately functional. it must also be beautiful, unique, meaningful and adequately functional.” This is something that really struck me and stuck with me because I think that I can create a business that is different than any other. I think it is possible to be the best at what you do while HAVING FUN AND TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE!!!!
This is the journey that I am on now… A new step. A new chapter. I have no idea what the future has in store so I am taking baby steps, inching my way towards my future. It is a scary (yet exciting) time in my life. I am constantly bouncing ideas off my friends, my trusted advisers, and trying to make as few mistakes as possible… Here’s to whatever God has in store for me… The next chapter!
Pey-It-Forward 