The mountains that block our way...

The key to good business is a mindset.  You don't always know what is going to happen in your life, and you honestly cannot always be prepared for it.  You can try, but there's no guarantee of you actually being prepared.  Was Blockbuster prepared for the pure surge of competition from Netflix?  Was the auto industry ready for a partial collapse of the financial system?  We can try and lay out contingencies, which is highly preferred when doing business in this decade, however all of those contingencies can fail.  So, the only thing that we have to lean on is our ingenuity.  

The second point about mindset is to remember that worrying about the future does nothing.  It does not help you prepare better when you are nervous.  It does not help you write more clearly when you focus on the problem.  The advantage of having foresight is to be able to create alternatives to those obstacles, because if anything is certain about this life and business, it is that obstacles will occur.  It is impossible to avoid obstacles in life.

Just recently, I reactivated my websites to start my real estate business in my new home of Atlanta, and I needed to move some domains that I bought earlier in the year to my new website.  It literally took two hours out of my day, because I have very little web programming training.  I eventually figured it out after a few YouTube videos and about three cups of coffee.  In that moment, the obstacle was standing in my way and about to cost me money.  I could've given up, purchased more domain names, and kept going.  However, I decided that it was a learning opportunity, because of it, I learned how the DNS manager works, and I also discovered that I have $100 of free Google Adwords that I've never used.  

The point is not to boast about my resolve as it relates to insignificant barriers.  The point is that the little things that stop you and feel enormous in a moment are no different from the large things that impede you and make you feel like you are powerless.  The obstacles will be different, but your conviction and drive must be the same.  It must remain steady through the varying degrees of mountains that come your way to stand in front of your path.  If you chisel long enough, your mountain will become a pebble.  

I remember I found an old philosophy book in my house, and I read a bit of "The Energies of Men" by William James.  I don't know all of his views of philosophy and psychology, but one thing stuck to me in particular.  It spoke about how we as people give up long before our will has actually even reached its end.  He said that people find themselves giving up typically when they feel the first signs of discomfort, however when they push through this, they find themselves energized once more ready to complete the challenge and more.  This particularly struck a chord with me because I experience this every time I work out, and at least once even before I work out.  That same experience can be had across many different efforts.  You may find yourself thinking how hard it's going to be to take on this task, and not even try because of the mental discomfort that you felt just thinking about it.  

If that has ever been you, and you have ever pushed past that block, then I say that you should continue pressing pass.  Nothing in life is going to be easy, but your will as a man, or a woman will carry you through if you believe in yourself enough.