Entrepreneurship

Pride Comes Before the Fall

Posted on by xcellenceone

Never be proud. Is that really even possible? Is it possible to not be proud of yourself? As an entrepreneur most of the time we work so hard and see very little results. Being a successful entrepreneur requires great patience. And after all of our patience and hard work and tears, when we finally reach victory, the hardest thing of all is asked of us. Be humble and be thankful. Ooooohhhh weeeee! Swallow that with a sip of sand!

The best of us know how very difficult swallowing our pride is. The worst of us don’t swallow it anyway so the difficulty of accomplishing it is ever evident in our failure to do so. I know this feeling and have recently experienced personal victory in my path to entrepreneurial success. While I’d love to post it on Facebook, write about it here, or even tweet about it, I know I’m required to be thankful and push forward. No matter how much I want to scream from the top of the tallest building, I’m required to stand in the valley, continue to help others, and be gracious.

I’m so thankful I’m human because I have a choice. I choose to stay humble. I choose to take my victory in stride and thank those that helped me succeed thus far. As an entrepreneur, no matter how hard you have worked, none of us has done it alone. The friend/mentor you called when you wanted to give up helped you get here. That unexpected contribution that funded your startup helped you get here. That advice, that kind word, that opportunity, that invitation, that handshake, that book, all helped you get to where you are now.

As you ascend to untold heights, never forget where you came from. I don’t mean that in the traditional “don’t forget where you grew up” sense. I mean that in the “remember hard moments and the things it took you to get here” sense. No one wants to hear about your victories. Your victories are apparent and evident in the life you live. People want to hear how you earned victory. People want to know about your path to victory. People want to hear about your struggle. People want to follow a warrior, a fighter, someone who stood in the face of adversity and won. Let’s be that person instead!

Is the celebration worth success?

Is the celebration worth success?

I truly believe that pride does come before the fall, so I try to stay as far away from pride as I can. Even with the few steps I’ve gained from the base of the mountain, falling even from here would be earth shattering. So hold on to what you’ve achieved. Brag to yourself in the mirror. But don’t brag to your friends/family. They won’t love you more. They won’t envy you. As entrepreneurs our genuine thirst for success quarantines us, don’t remove more people by boasting.

In closing, don’t confuse pride with celebration. Feel free to celebrate/reward yourself. Have fun. One is an action, while the other is a costly emotion.

Celebration: the action of marking one’s pleasure at an important event or occasion…

Pride: a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements…

’til then,

#KeepItSuccessful #showdonttell #dontbelievemejustwatch

Spawn of the Spornosexual: Are Entrepreneurial Mindsets Creeping into Corporate America?

Posted on by xcellenceone

I read an awesome article last night entitled “What does ‘being a man’ mean in the modern workplace?” I was interested in the article mostly because of the picture the writers selected to pair with the article. The image was of a young black man wearing ear buds and a beanie. A young entrepreneur, sure, but a corporate America working man, no. (Yes, I admit I was stereotyping just a bit.)

I was thrown off in the opening paragraph. What the heck is a spornosexual? Even spellcheck underlined the word! (It’s ok, I linked it for those of you who are in the same boat I was.) Being from Las Vegas a spornosexual to me is a gym rat which is equal to just about every dude I see everyday. It’s nothing new to me. It may just now be starting to becoming trendy, but it’s a way of life where I’m from. Having that perspective, I wouldn’t say this article relates in any way to the modern workplace. Yes, you have those executives who work out or have a personal trainer, but they’re no more respected than the potbelly VP who refuses to stop tucking the tip of his tie in his belt. Ugh!

'Spornosexual Hustle'

‘Spornosexual Hustle’

Is a man that cares for and takes care of his body viewed as more manly than a man that chooses to let himself go? The article speaks to the fact that often times men are judged on (work) performance alone. In contrast, women are judged on multiple factors. A women’s ability to be a mother, friend, colleague, and perform on par with her male counterparts is just part of the total package that’s expected. Nobody judges a man for missing his son’s soccer game. He’s expected to work hard and make that sacrifice. No excuses. A mother who misses the same game may be viewed as too ‘career-oriented’.

The article then addresses men’s inability to express their emotions. It’s frowned upon (mostly). Suicide rates, violent crimes, and misbehavior are higher and more common in men than women. So how does this all relate? Will these numbers shift if more guys become spornosexual? I don’t believe so. Men still don’t have an emotional outlet. And often times (some) guys pick up bad habits like steroids or other drugs to help obtain or maintain their physique by going to the gym or trying to attain spornosexual status.

So what is it worth? And how does it transfer into the modern workplace? The answer is, it doesn’t. Maybe because Las Vegas is a transient city based heavily in the customer service industry, I don’t see many corporate males. The ones I do see aren’t any more dedicated to their “I’m going to get ripped this year” New Year’s resolutions than before. And for those men in corporate America who are riding the spornosexual wave, are they any better at their jobs? Are they viewed any differently?

I know this post is getting long, so I’ll leave you with these thoughts. My belief is that men (or women for that matter) who work out become more confident – spornosexuals maybe even to the point of being arrogant. I’ve seen and heard employees compare themselves to their superiors, “What does he know? He looks like crap anyway. All he can bench is a cheeseburger!” Does improved physique make people more judgmental? Do you then pride your self worth on your looks alone? Are men really looking to be objectified as women have been for so many years? Will that really help their already tender emotional frailty?

On the flip side, entrepreneurs (males and females alike) often do take care of and take pride in their bodies. It’s part of presenting a to total package. As a new entrepreneur you are your brand, so you have to look the part. As an entrepreneur you know that as you work on yourself (physical and mental) you will become better, and with the right tools your business will grow. I’m not sure that looking better at work will necessarily translate into a better position or promotion or more recognition. So the hope is then, that your new found spornosexual confidence can be put to good use (outside of the modern workplace). You don’t have to wait for someone to appreciate your incrased confidence and hard work, you can promote yourself. One of the best trainers I’ve ever met has a story that personifies what I mean. Justin Blum, spornosexual, entrepreneur, and fantastic father, used to work a job as a construction worker. He’s now a world-class trainer with multiple gyms around the Valley. He didn’t always look as fit as he does today, but as his physique changed, so did his mindset and his goals.

New Age, New Perspective

Posted on by xcellenceone

I read over my previous posts. I wanted to see my mindset. I wanted to understand where I was, and compare it to where I am now. I’m happy to say not much has changed. Most of you would think that means that I have not grown, but to me it means my values and beliefs are intact. It means that the things I believed 2 years ago, the principles I stood on, and the approach I took to life still live within me today. That makes me happy. It means I’m not some fly-by-night entrepreneur and success dealer that gives people what they want to hear when they want/need to hear it. I stand firmly on the words I write, and they are truly the foundation of my success.

Besides the spelling mistakes (embarrassing!) I was intrigued by the article I wrote about Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women. I was obviously a bit disgruntled by the fact that only two women on the list were under 30. Now that I am 30, has my perspective changed? A bit, but the ideas remain the same. Success and Power should not be directly linked to age. Often times they are, and I believe that’s unfair. The only nod I give to age when it comes to success is that it often directly relates to maturity. In order to be successful you do have to be mature (but more on that in another post).

I can say this. As off-put as I obviously was by the article (and I use off-put loosely because I simply disagreed more than anything else), I failed to give myself credit for my own success. Looking back on that time in my life I was successful. Did I have billions of dollars? Of course not. But I had a pretty good lifestyle and I was moving in a positive direction. I made the same mistake most of us make as young, new, green entrepreneurs. We choose someone to mirror ourselves after. We select someone as our mentor or ideal entrepreneur that we look up to. Then we make the fatal mistake of comparing ourselves to them. Why do we do that? Why do we put ourselves through that agony? That’s what I was doing. I was comparing myself to those women and telling myself I didn’t measure up. It may have been a subconscious act, but I did it nonetheless.

As you choose your mentor (dare I say idol) or person you want to “be when you grow up” be careful not to compare your right now to their entire journey. Few people write about the long days and nights spent on their way to success. Often times we just see the end result, the polished china, the diamond. But remember, that diamond was once a piece of coal that nobody reveled at. That diamond was just like you are now. And one day, you will sparkle and awe and captivate too.

’til then,

#KeepItSuccessful

Learn to Change

Posted on by xcellenceone

So obviously I’ve taken a few days off. Not sure yet whether it’s a good or bad thing…regardless I’m back.

I’ve been sitting here trying to decide what I should write about. There are so many topics of Success, and each one has been written about. Then it hit me! Isn’t this whole thing, this journey, supposed to me about MY JOURNEY! Duh!

So, let’s talk about my few days off. It’s not that I didn’t want to write, I even had some great ideas. What am I saying, I ALWAYS have great ideas. To be honest, it was my mood. Most of you just gasped at the thought of me, a Leader of entrepreneurs could say that my MOOD of all things affected my ability to conduct business. But let’s face it, we all have our moments. Besides, Success is about learning from mistakes. Isn’t that what all the greats profess? Learn from your mistakes. Mistakes are the greatest teachers of success…and so forth. So my private lesson, will now be public.

Ok, what did you learn Ariadne? Ha, I knew you’d ask. I re-learned about emotional stability. (Yes, I’ve had this lesson before) If each of us is honest with ourselves our great moments as equally as our ghastly ones have an emotional effect on us. When times are great we are tweeting, chatting, smiling, and moving forward. When times aren’t so great we may find it hard to even start our day. Anyone who tells you they’ve never had a bad day is lying, and not worth listening to. I don’t care who they are. Everyone has bad moments, it’s how we deal with them that differentiates us. Most recently for me a difficult few days with a cyclic, non-progressive, but financially necessary situation caused me untold amounts of frustration. It was difficult for me to muster the strength to do something I know I have not been purposed to. My integrity keeps me grounded, loyal (sometimes to a fault), and motivated most of the time. In this particular instance I just wanted out. The promise of what I was doing no longer held value in comparison to what I have been purposed to achieve.

“Although it’s just one step, a single step in the right direction is worth a million in the wrong place.” – Ariadne

So, what’s the lesson? First, I’m sure many Leaders profess to be emotionally stable, but I believe it’s something to be practiced daily, not achieved. There was only one consistently emotionally stable man on this earth and he went by the name Jesus Christ (just Jesus to most). A fly on any other Leader’s wall on any given day will see the good and the ghastly. I don’t profess to be perfect. I repeat that I am a work in progress, I am learning, AND I am teaching. I don’t want to learn from someone who’s isn’t learning/growing themselves. Think about it, if my teacher isn’t learning then once I learn what they’ve got to teach, they can offer nothing more! I want to grow with those who I learn from and with those whom I teach. Leaders who learn demonstrate to their followers that there is no plateau in success. That success is and should always be just beyond you’re reach. I wrote about success as a journey in my last post: Success is an Ongoing Pursuit. If you haven’t read it, catch up 🙂

In closing, a moment (or series thereof) should not affect my ability to provide success and excellence to my following. So, best I can I promise to be more consistent. I promise to exhibit more emotional stability. Let’s grow together. I’ll get better, and of course follow my own advice, and you do the same.

“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” – Robert Browning

’til then,

#KeepItSuccessful

Success is an Ongoing Pursuit

Posted on by xcellenceone

Success is a decision and a journey. Certainly it’s not a destination. A destination is a place you arrive, and eventually leave.

Ask any real entrepreneur if they have arrived, if they’ve “made it”, and if they tell you yes, walk away. As an entrepreneur if you think you’ve “made it” then you have not even begun. You’ve missed the boat…ships sailed!

Success is all about the journey, it’s about rediscovering, imaging, growing. Ask Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett if they’ve made it. They’ll tell you no! The world has changed before their eyes. Just when they thought they may have made it something else popped up…Twitter, YouTube, iPads, mp3s. If they had stopped at broadcasting, newspaper articles, magazines, and cds, they’d have products practically unrecognizable to today’s youth.

Innovation will change this world, every day. What you accomplished yesterday is nothing compared to what some kid dreamt up today while drooling over his classwork. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying your accomplishments aren’t good enough. They are great! But do your future grand-kids a favor and don’t stop there. Challenge yourself! I guarantee you if you don’t, someone else will.

’til then,

#KeepItSuccessful