The fact that walls are there to stop not us but the people around us who don’t want it badly enough is a quote I read from the author of ‘The Last Lecture’, Randy Pausch. Randy was, among many things, a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, a Disney gaming engineer and a best-selling author. He wrote a book during his fight with pancreatic cancer based on his popular talk that he gave at his alma mater. The talk went viral and he even did an abridged version of it on Oprah. He beat a 6 month death sentence and finally succumbed to his nemesis at the 2 year mark. His entire journey was marked by difficulties and challenges and defeat but he never really gave up. I loved reading about how he never felt sorry for himself. Never asked for pity or special treatment. His only thought was to overcome the wall of cancer so his young family wouldn’t have to be without him. It was such a powerful lesson to me as a business owner to read that book.
The Milestones
When a business is new and it’s moving slower than you want, and you have to do things you’ve never done, sometimes you give up. The statistics bear this out. Very few businesses survive or thrive in the long run. When I look around me at the businesses that are making it, they really do have this mentality of wanting to succeed badly enough that they’re ready to burn through their fears and doubts and discomfort.
Fighting Your Childhood
One of the biggest revelations to me when I started a business was that I had to grow as a human being and overcome all my false limitations that had been programmed into me by my childhood environment. After all, my immigrant middle-class parents taught us to study hard, get good grades and to work for big corporations to be safe. Is it any wonder that I then went out and created a life working for giant corporations like Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Frito-Lay and Playtex? The walls put up for you in your childhood are the hardest ones to beat.
We’re OK As We Are
That’s the anthem of the ones that don’t want it badly enough. We’re ok. We don’t need more. We’re getting by. My anthem is and will always be: I want more, I want bigger and I want better for everyone: my clients, my family, my networks and myself. The Universe is based on expansion not status quo. If you don’t want it badly enough to overcome the obstacles, I can’t force you but I won’t join you either.
The next time you’re up against an obstacle, stay strong and remember: the walls are there to separate the shakers from the fakers. (thank you Ken Bonham)
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