I keep hitting my Esc key but I’m still here…
Okay, so I’m a little “burnt” right now at the time of writing this, digesting the massive growth we’ve had over the past year, with this month being hot as we roll into January with multiple events planned. I see giant piles of things I want to do, work on and improve everywhere. It’s maddening. Some days, like that kid in Sixth Sense, I whisper in a hushed, spooked tone, “I see opportunity.”
Opportunity, like many things in life, is both a blessing and a curse. The fact that I CAN do great marketing, CAN sell, CAN build, CAN scheme and plan is a blessing – but all of this comes with a giant tail of responsibility.
Given the choice between having those abilities OR being unable to do those things because of limited opportunities, limited skills and limited means for taking advantage of them, I’ll take the former. But make no mistake that one of the “worst” habits I have is to attempt to squeeze all the juice outta every damned orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit in the house.
A friend of mine who makes okay money running a very small business that affords him a lot of freedom constantly asks me why I’m working so hard, given I no longer have to financially. It IS a tough question, but it’s best summed up in that while I’m not needy anymore, I am wanty. I suppose we all could say the same. Most of you reading this are fairly well off-financially, most of you millionaires. Some decamillionaires, long beyond the “needy” phase of your life. So why do YOU keep going? Probably for the same reasons I do. It’s tough to step away from something you’re winning at.
Of course, there’s always the “money can’t buy happiness” crowd shaming people like us for working so hard, sacrificing so much. They sell their philosophy hard because it’s the boat they find themselves in and are unable to escape, miserable, extremely defensive and highly resentful of those with money. Misery does love a crowd. Mark Twain wrote that no one can stand prosperity – another man’s, that is.
And while I’ll agree that money won’t buy or guarantee happiness, neither will poverty. Financial problems, and the constant worry over money, wears a person down, including endless worry about how to pay the bills, anxiety over being able to be independent, especially late in life, the added stress of having to watch every penny that comes in and goes out, and the envy and resentment of those who can afford the things you want, as well as disappointment in yourself for being unable to give your family the life you want or to help others in need. ALL of this robs your peace of mind.
There are happy poor people. I know a few, but they are not common. I also know very, very wealthy people who are extremely happy. But as Jordan Peterson (last year’s keynote speaker at our IT Sales & Marketing Boot Camp) says, happiness is an empty pursuit. Living a good life requires greater meaning than to “be happy.” Such meaning comes from being a contributor beyond yourself. To be productive and working toward something big. A “life’s work.” Maybe that’s being the best parent you can possibly be. Maybe that’s producing a work of art, writing a novel, leading a high-performance sports team or building a company, either as the CEO or as a key executive in a larger organization.
But whatever your pursuit, I can guarantee you won’t be skipping along the rainbow path happy as a lark for the entire time. Accomplishing anything great, whether there’s money involved or not, will require a willingness to do the work and bear responsibilities that don’t necessarily make you happy. Some of your path will produce sheer misery, exhaustion, pain and stress. Money is not the only measure of success, but if you’re running a business, money IS a valid way of measuring success because a business is a commercial enterprise. A company MUST make money or it will go out of business; it is a mirror reflection of marketplace value.
As we step across the calendar line of 2024 and into 2025, you will likely reflect on where you are and your goals and ambitions for this year. My advice to you is to choose carefully, choose thoughtfully, choose with intention. Life is flying by for me at this age and likely is for you as well. One of the hardest things for any of us to do is to choose what we want. In many ways, it’s easier to remain fuzzy about your specific goals and intentions and just keep running on the gerbil wheel.
As I’ve moved through life and accomplished many things, some of the things I thought I desperately wanted and needed weren’t all they were cracked up to be once I got ’em. Maybe that’s true for you too. That’s why we have a hard time making choices as to what we want. What if you choose wrong? What if you throw in for a BIG goal, invest a ton of time and effort, only to find out you picked the wrong mountain to climb? That’s a hard pill to swallow. A friend of mine was convinced she wanted to have a stellar career as a highly paid, high-powered attorney, giving up on starting a family as a necessary means for getting what she wanted most. Later in life, she was tortured by the fact she had gotten too old to have her own children and it devastated her, ultimately destroying her marriage and friendships. She chose wrong.
But if you don’t choose, life WILL give you a lot of what you don’t want. I would much rather bear the responsibilities of my own choice than turn my life over to fate and see what unfolds. So my advice to you this New Year is to take some quiet time and ponder what it is you truly want. Be selfish. What and who is driving you crazy, creating stress and anxiety that must change this year? Get after that. What accomplishment would truly make you happy? Get after that. Design the life you want and don’t accept the one you have by default. Be WILLING to make sacrifices for the attainment of a goal, but never be willing to give up your freedom, your autonomy and what matters to you most.
You’ve already made the choice to lead and grow your business, but are you clear on what you truly want next? Don’t let life hand you default results—design the business you want for 2025. At our IT Sales & Marketing Boot Camp, you’ll get a proven roadmap to accelerate your growth and create real wealth. Don’t leave your success to fate. Register now and make 2025 your year!
