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I have to say, that after so many years of being a workaholic and spending countless hours building my businesses, I totally would argue there is a difference between sacrifice and commitment.
Malcolm Gladwell says we need 10,000 hours to perfect our craft – believe me…I've put in 5 times that.
Think about it – 12 hour days – entrepreneurs can EASILY put in 12 hour days and not blink an eye.
So I've committed. I've put hours in.
But when I lost my dad in 2001 – I started to see sacrifice and commitment in different ways.
My work ethic and drive comes from being inside an entrepreneurial family…I lived and breathed the blood sweat and tears.
Watched both my parents build a business from literally nothing.
My father was dedicated – committed – driven – whatever you want to call it.
He would do – as ANY entrepreneur would do … ANYTHING to make his business successful.
Sometimes it took extra nights and some weekends.
There's a popular saying among entrepreneurs that goes something like “do what others are not willing to do for a few years and you'll get the things others will never have”…
I may have messed up the quote there, but I'm sure you get the meaning..
I lived by that rule for my whole life. Well, most of it.
Trouble is, those ‘few years' turn into decades. And those decades turn into their lives.
I know because I was headed down the same path.
We keep sacrificing things.
I did it. My dad did it. And there's tens of thousands out there right now doing it.
Look, commitment is one thing – but sacrifice is another.
IF you are like all of the entrepreneurs I've talked with who are willing to do anything for your business…
My question is – what are you WILLING to give up?
For how long?
“As long as it takes” really doesn't fly with me anymore.
My dad taught me things he never knew he did. Because he was committed. He was driven and passionate.
He believed. Even when there was no structure, pathway or strategy to get him to where he wanted to go.
He just pushed forward.
He taught me what commitment REALLY is. Because we lived it every day of our lives.
Entrepreneurship never stopped at our house. It was a constant in our lives.
At the dinner table, at the office, on a trip to Niagara Falls…
It's how I grew up – and I'm so grateful to have that same ‘belief system' he had.
But my dad also taught me something else…
That he DIDNT' have a life.
Because he was willing to do whatever it took for “a few years”. And he ended up sacrificing his life for his business.
Literally.
Because when Cancer told him in 1998 that he had three years left to live his life, he scrambled to put everything he pushed aside up front as priority.
Vacation – “me” time – family time – and so on.
When I lost my dad, I kept pressin' on – I told everyone that would listen how I was working for my family.
I began to see the pattern of sacrificing my life.
Holidays, weekends, you name it, I put the hours in to be successful.
And it wasn't until about five years ago – almost ten years since I lost my dad that it hit me…that we DON'T have to sacrifice our lives.
We are entrepreneurs and we DO have to commit. But we DON'T have to sacrifice.
And I'll go one step further – commitment is not good enough – to truly live a balanced life without your business taking away your life, you must STRATEGICALLY commit.
And that means you have to know WHY you're doing what you do.
And all of the rest falls into place.
There's many things I wish I could tell my dad – and this is one of 'em – to strategically commit – knowing exactly Why and What so you can LIVE today – and not wait for tomorrow.
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