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Taking the entrepreneurial plunge is a messy process. In the beginning you will encounter nothing but problems, obstacles, mistakes and sometimes failure. In fact, 27% of the entrepreneurs in my Rich Habits Study who became rich, failed at least once during their lifetime.
When most people notice of a successful entrepreneur, it is typically when those entrepreneurs are at the end of their journey and successful. These outside observers only see their beautiful homes, their vacation homes by the beach, their exotic vacations, their luxury cars and other things only the wealthy can afford.
What they don’t see is the the lonely, time consuming toil every successful entrepreneur must endure before they realize success. They don’t see the emotional scars they around with them, after battling endless adversity. They don’t see the missed family vacations, baseball games they could not watch their children play, parties thrown by friends, while they were working weekends or traveling on business. They don’t see the anxiety and worry of trying to make payroll week after week. They don’t see the many sleepless nights caused by worry and anxiety. They don’t see the pile of bills they struggle to pay. They don’t see the stress etched on the faces of loved ones, who must also endure the early struggles of every entrepreneur.
If you were able to walk in the footsteps of any successful entrepreneur during their journey, you would not envy them – you would pity them.
Pursuing a dream requires that you overcome obstacles and costly mistakes, while trying to figure out what to do and what not to do.
While the process is messy, the growth that occurs transforms every ordinary entrepreneur into extraordinary individuals. The successful pursuit of a dream gifts you with new knowledge, new skills, powerful relationships, an enormous hard work ethic, relentless persistence, confidence built through overcoming adversity, humility, and a much deeper appreciation of what it actually takes to succeed.
While the pursuit of a dream is messy, the benefits of success, by far, outweigh the anguish of the journey.
