We live in an era of self-proclaimed gurus, experts and innovators. We are constantly looking for the next Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. We religiously read books on how we can become rich and successful. We obsessively share articles on how successful people think, spend their weekends, summer holidays and invest their money. We naively believe that we can become billionaires overnight. I seriously think we got it all wrong!
I am honestly tired of the constant pressure to be and think like someone else. I don't know about you but I don't want to be the next Steve Jobs. I don't want my company to be the next Apple or Microsoft. I also don't really care what successful people do when they go to the toilet. Our mission as entrepreneurs should not be to copy someone's life and vision but to create our own. As I mentioned in my previous article- the only book that will help you create a successful business is the one you write yourself.
And no, I am not writing this article out of frustration. I am writing it because we seriously need to reconsider the way we think and act in today's business world. We put unnecessary pressure on ourselves to live someone else's life instead of enjoying ours. Not just that. We attach ourselves to these ideas that have nothing to do with our lives and dreams. Instead of doing it ourselves, we are continually forced to copy tactics and ideas that might not necessarily work for us.
Maybe it is about time that we restart our belief system on entrepreneurship. Maybe it is time we stop treating it as a hip trend and acknowledge that by attaching ourselves to someone else's ideas we are losing the focus on our own story. And to be frank, we are not on this earth to relive someone else's story but to create our own unique story.
So, enough already with :
Articles on how successful people sleep, eat, drink, spend their weekends, go to the toilet, spend their summer holidays and god knows what else.
Aren't you a bit tired of the pressure to do things certain way? To do things the way "successful" people do them? I am not even sure that truly successful people even write or read these kinds of articles. Live your life the way you want to live it. Set your own goals and agendas. Fail. Do things your own way.
I work for passion, not for money.
OK, this is what you can tell yourself once you make a lot of money. Until then, money should be on the same priority list as your passion for working. Don't get me wrong. Passion is really important. Without passion you cannot make it but you also have to understand that your passion will not pay your bills and your employees' salaries. Hunger for money and passion go together, hand in hand.
Just believe in yourself and all of your dreams will come true.
Nope. Believing in yourself is only the first step on your road to success. Do you know what is more important? ACTION! You need to be a person of action. You need to be one step ahead of everyone else. You have to continuously evolve and learn new things. You also have to learn to accept failure because hey, success rarely comes overnight. So, believe in yourself but also don't forget to constantly work on yourself.
Do it the Google, Apple or Facebook Way!
How about doing it your way? How about creating your own corporate culture? How about creating something that is yours, something that is unique? I am seriously tired of the burden to be like these major brands. I cannot be and I don't want to be like them. Every business is different. What works for Google might not work for me. Facebook is an amazing brand and their work is outstanding but this is their way of doing things, not yours. Find your own way. Create your own culture. Don't feel pressurized to be like someone else.
Taking advice by self-proclaimed gurus with no business experience whatsoever.
It seems everyone is a business expert these days. I don't mind taking advice from someone that truly understands the nature of doing business but what really annoys me is someone with no working experience telling me how I need to do things. Everything looks great on paper. The real world is however a bit different. Be careful who you take advice from. Some people just talk the talk.
Finally, don't be afraid to be who you really are. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Work tirelessly on creating your own best version. Create your own definition for success. This is your life. Your story. Make it a good one! And remember, sometimes being your true self is more than enough to succeed.