Starting and running a truly successful business is more often that not, a difficult task.
You will need to work incredibly hard and you’ll run into all types of risks, hurdles, setbacks and more. This is the point where rational people will give up.
Rational people can’t function without eating, sleeping and having time to unwind. They don’t want to be locked away from family and friends, building a business where there’s no sure payoff. They’d much rather prefer to get a ‘normal’ job that offers a predictable income.
That’s what allows us irrational entrepreneurs to flourish.
Our irrationality is fueled by passion. Passion to make a difference, passion to create something amazing and passion to succeed. Without passion, reason takes over which makes the path to success all too difficult.
That’s why it’s incredibly important that entrepreneurs work on something that they love doing. Don’t do it for the money, status or anything else other than the love of what you do.
That will fuel your drive and keep you going despite setbacks that you’re bound to encounter.
The rational guy will give up when they think they can’t go any further or do any more. I love this Will Smith quote:
“I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, but if we get on the treadmill together, there’s two things: Your getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple.”
What this means to me, other than not wanting to get on a treadmill alongside Will, is that when you commit to something, you commit with everything you’ve got. You give it your all and see the only option as success.
All of the greats around us succeeded because of sickening determination and pure passion. Look at sporting greats such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Look at entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Richard Branson. Luck and talent does play a part but ultimately, the main ingredient is passion.
If you’re building a business that you’re not passionate about. If it is starting to feel like work, reconsider what you’re doing. You may simply be able to outsource the functions that you don’t like so you can continue adding value where it counts. Or you may need to take more drastic steps.
Whatever you do, make sure it’s built on a solid foundation. Don’t go chasing money or the latest hot fad. Don’t think you’ll be able to quickly sell for a profit or raise surplus funds from noble supporters. Do something that you’ll enjoy doing every waking hour of every day if you needed to.
That’s the only sure-fire way to maximize the chances of long-term and ongoing success.
I’ll leave you with this wonderful quote by Charles M. Schwab:
“The man who does not work for the love of work but only for money is not likely to neither make money nor find much fun in life.”
Author Bio: Sandip Singh is the founder of several successful online businesses including most recently, niche visual photography site Asian Capture.
