The Unlimited Entrepreneur

Posted on November 29, 2020 by anentrepreneurswords

Let us count brick walls. They are everywhere. We encounter them at work and at home. We find them in our personal and business relationships. Brick walls seem to be a part of our lives. But do they need to be?

We tend to be great masons and build some very elaborate and impregnable brick walls. The brick walls to which I refer are the limitations that we impose upon ourselves. Sometimes we believe that these limitations are imposed by others but if we really examine them closely, they are more often than not, self-imposed. It is critical for us as entrepreneurs to avoid allowing thoughts of lack or limitation to creep into our psyches.

Let us look at some of the things we speak to ourselves and say to others. Anytime a sentence contains the words “I can’t,” “I don’t” or “I won’t” there is a strong possibility that limitations are in play. Certainly, there are some limitations that are rational and necessary – I am not talking about those. Thoughts of lack and limitation that prevent us from achieving our greatest potential and success are what we need to train ourselves to eliminate.

I can recall several times over the course of my career where a rookie entered the commercial real estate business and completed a series of amazing transactions. Everyone looked at each other and said, “How did he do it?” Well, I know how. This rookie did not know what he did not know. Make sense? In other words, he did not know to place limitations on himself that many veterans of the industry had imposed upon themselves. As a result, he made cold calls on clients that others thought to be untouchable or intractable. And guess what? He got deals done.

Why do we limit ourselves in the first place? Often it is the result of fear or a lack of knowledge. Analyze the following statement. “I can’t pursue that business opportunity because I don’t have the money to do so.” This statement contains both the “I can’t” and “I don’t” negative affirmations which will probably result in this person not pursuing the business opportunity. Most likely the underlying reason for the statement is that this person either has a fear about the business opportunity – perhaps it’s a fear of failure – or he/she simply doesn’t know how to find the money needed. Regardless, the opportunity will not be pursued because this person has built a brick wall around it.

So, what is the truth? We have a choice to either create reality or face reality. If we choose to create our reality, we can do so by removing all thoughts of lack and limitation. We tap into our creative energy and identify the resources that we need to succeed. We pursue that business opportunity because we find a way to raise the money that is needed. In several of the companies with which I am involved, we regularly complete apartment developments and acquisitions utilizing very complex financial structures. We have rescued many a deal from the scrap heap because we not only have the knowledge to figure out how to make them work, but we also have no fear of failure. Do we fail? Sure, we do. But our failures are simply steps toward our ultimate end goal. And we manage our risk so that none of our failures are fatal.

We can go through a life full of brick walls that are of our own making, or we can create our own reality by taking the simple yet powerful step of eliminating thoughts of lack and limitation. Whenever these thoughts start to become a part of our mindset, we recognize them; we release them, and we replace them with the truth of unlimited possibilities.

This blog is being written in tandem with my book, “An Entrepreneur’s Words to Live By,” available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle (My Book), as well as being available in all of the other major eBook formats.

The Blessed Entrepreneur

Posted on April 19, 2020 by anentrepreneurswords

We all have aspirations. So, what kind of an entrepreneur do we aspire to be? I would like to be a Blessed Entrepreneur. How would this manifest?

The Blessed Entrepreneur has a rock-solid set of principles and core values. He or she marches to a tune of integrity and honor. Decisions are made in part with an eye toward how others are helped and most certainly an avoidance of intentionally hurting anyone. The purest test of this individual comes when a choice must be made between earning substantial profits by “cutting corners” or doing the right thing that generates little or no gain.

The Blessed Entrepreneur sees the glass not half empty or half full. This person sees many glasses overflowing and is always in deep gratitude for such bounty. A completely positive mindset is one of the strongest attributes of the Blessed Entrepreneur. Thoughts of lack and limitation are quickly swept away with optimism and hope; then translated into process and action that preordains the desired outcomes. Even moments of doubt and challenge are transformed into opportunity and silver linings.

The Blessed Entrepreneur exudes a quiet confidence. There is no arrogance – only competence. This confidence evolves through knowledge, experience and selflessness. The Blessed Entrepreneur is never too proud to ask for help or admit ignorance about a particular subject or situation. He or she is totally comfortable in his or her own skin. There’s no need to “put on airs” or pretend to be someone they’re not.

The Blessed Entrepreneur is the quintessential leader. This person is a role model and a collaborator. A command and control style is never utilized. Coaching is the approach most favored and a clear vision is continuously articulated. The Blessed Entrepreneur inspires members of the team to do better and be better. He or she is always looking for ways to recognize the accomplishments and success of others. An intentionally positive culture is developed and nurtured.

The Blessed Entrepreneur understands his or her priorities. Outside of a vocation, this individual has a strong focus on living a healthy lifestyle. This includes regular exercise, eating right and getting regular medical checkups. The Blessed Entrepreneur is aware that good health impacts all other aspects of his or her life. Similarly, this person also pays attention to the family unit, spending quality time with a spouse or partner, children, parents, grandparents and other family members. Most important of all, being fully present defines quality time.

The Blessed Entrepreneur is financially prosperous but not because wealth is his or her goal. Instead, a passion for a profession drives this person to excel and discover new opportunities. This passion unlocks a powerful creative flow that results in amazing success. And part of this success can be measured in a level of financial benefit that becomes a by-product of the overall effort.

The Blessed Entrepreneur embraces change and fearlessly pursues innovative solutions to problems that are faced. The prospects of change stimulate excitement and a desire to lead the process that enables an orderly transition. There’s no hand wringing about the past – only a positive outlook for the future with an expectation that every day will be even better than the last. This attitude converts to boundless energy that is infectious for all those with whom contact is made.

Finally, the Blessed Entrepreneur lives a life of service to others. He or she is always looking for ways to offer a helping hand without quid pro quo. There is no need or anticipation for accolades and recognition. The Blessed Entrepreneur has an innate ability to spot those who need assistance whether it be a colleague, a friend, a family member or even a stranger. This giving of one’s self may be small in nature or significant – it matters not.

Blessed Entrepreneurs lead complete and satisfying lives. They are committed to their aspirations which becomes inspirational for the rest of us.

This blog is being written in tandem with my book, “An Entrepreneur’s Words to Live By,” available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle (My Book), as well as being available in all of the other major eBook formats.

O-Fer

Posted on January 8, 2017 by anentrepreneurswords

In baseball the stat line for a hitter who strikes out, flies out or grounds out in all his at-bats during a game is shown as 0 – 4 or 0 – 5. The stat sheet for a basketball player who continually shoots and misses without scoring a point might show 0 – 7 or 0 – 10. In athletic terms this is an O-fer . . . O for 4 or O for 5 . . . O-fer. Going O-fer is an ignominious experience and generally brings on scorn from the fans. In 1922, Babe Ruth faced St. Louis Browns’ pitcher Hub Pruett. The first 14 at-bats for the Babe resulted in 10 strikeouts and two walks. During the 1922 World Series, Babe Ruth hit one single and one double in 17 trips to the plate. Arguably one of the greatest players to ever step on the diamond, Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times. That was fewer than a number of other baseball luminaries such as Barry Bonds (1,539), Mark McGwire (1,596), Mickey Mantle (1,710), Alex Rodriquez (2,287) and Reggie Jackson (2,597). Any student of the game will tell you that all of these players were some of the best in the history of baseball.

There is another side to the story. Ruth had 2,214 Runs Batted In (RBI); Bonds had 1,996; McGwire had 1,414; Mantle had 1,509; Rodriguez had 2,086, and Jackson had 1,702. And each smacked a lot of home runs during their respective careers – Ruth (714); Bonds (762); McGwire (583); Mantle (536); Rodriguez (696) and Jackson (563). I know this is a lot of statistics and if you aren’t a baseball fan you may not fully understand the astounding nature of these feats. But there’s a point to all of this. In life we do strikeout. Baseball players strikeout. Entrepreneurs strikeout. Salespeople strikeout. Going O-fer is just part of the game.

What matters is how we deal with going O-fer. When we flameout do we play the victim and blame someone else? Or do we examine our technique as well as the surrounding circumstances and look for ways to tweak our “form?” How easy would it have been for these great baseball players to have let their propensity to strikeout destroy their careers? Instead they did something else. They figured out how to take the strikeout experience and find a way to hit the ball out of the park in a future plate appearance. Babe Ruth was number 118 in lifetime strikeouts, but he was number two in RBIs. I find this fascinating. Here’s a man who drove in far more runs than he struck out – yet he had a lot of strikeouts over the course of his career.

I listened to a podcast recently about a venture capital firm that was launching its first fund. The principals were doing the typical road show and calling on prospective investors in multiple markets. They would typically be gone for a week at a time – one week they made 25 meetings in Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and New York. During that particular week they were O-fer through 22 meetings. Imagine how this might feel! Yet, on their final day, they went three-for-three and netted tens of millions of dollars in commitments.

There’s more than just resilience at work here. It’s critical to understand that going O-fer is just part of the game. It doesn’t mean the game is over. With each new meeting, pitch, visit or idea, we’re starting zero to zero. It’s a tie game. I have learned not to look at O-fer beyond zero to zero. If we don’t win the last at-bat we simply start over with the next one. We remember the instructive elements from the encounter and discard all emotion as we make the pitch again to the next customer. We only lose if we stop playing the game. We know in our bones that eventually we’ll hit a home run or an RBI. So we keep playing the game.

If we understand that O-fer is just part of the game and can maintain our positive energy, we can erase our doubts and feelings of limitation. This sets us up to ultimately connect with the ball and score consistently.

You can also listen to a weekly audio podcast of my blog. What you hear will be different than what you read in this blog. Subscribe on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also click on this link – Click here to listen to Audio Episode 26 – The Really Deep Dive.

Oh Those Surly Bonds

Posted on October 5, 2014 by anentrepreneurswords

I’m proud to say that I’m an entrepreneur in a state of denial. And I suggest that you too should be in a similar state of denial. Why you ask, would an entrepreneur want to be in denial? After all, we’re eternal optimists and have a never-say-die approach to everything . . . right? Here’s what I’m in denial about.

I deny fear. I realize that fear freezes me into a state of inertia, or causes me to make irrational decisions. Fear saps my energy and causes me to ride an emotional roller-coaster. Fear robs me of my creativity and my initiative. I will not be afraid.

I deny all thoughts of self-doubt. Self-doubt is my mortal enemy. It causes me to question my instincts and clouds my intuition. I become tentative and worry about making mistakes. Self-doubt destroys my confidence and causes me to question my abilities. I will not allow self-doubt to manifest in my life.

I deny any belief that I’m a victim. There may be times when I feel that I’ve been wronged or believe someone has done something that prevents my success. I realize that when I feel victimized I’m giving away my power to someone else. Playing the victim fills me with negative energy. I will not be a victim to anyone for anything.

I deny all thoughts of lack and limitation. I stop myself when I start to utter phrases such as, “I can’t because,” “I’m not able,” and “if only.” My entrepreneurial spirit is dulled when I think that I am limited in some way. I realize that the only limitations I have are those that I place upon myself. I will not allow thoughts of lack and limitation to creep into my consciousness.

Being in denial about fear, self-doubt, beliefs of victimization, and thoughts of lack and limitation is only the first of two critical steps. It’s not enough to simply deny these negative factors. We must replace them with positive action-oriented affirmations. I deny fear and embrace faith. I deny self-doubt and have total confidence in who I am and what I’m doing. I deny any belief that I’m a victim and take full responsibility for my actions. I deny all thoughts of lack and limitation and know that my opportunities have no bounds.

Denying that which will inhibit me and affirming the positive direction I will take, allows me to release the surly bonds that hold me. And then I can soar to new heights.

Brick Walls

Posted on August 10, 2014 by anentrepreneurswords

Let’s count brick walls. They are everywhere. We encounter them at work and at home. We find them in our personal and business relationships. Brick walls seem to be a part of our lives. But do they need to be?

Let’s look at some of the things we speak to ourselves and say to others. Anytime a sentence contains the words “I can’t,” “I don’t” or “I won’t” there’s a strong possibility that limitations are in play. Certainly there are some limitations that are rational and necessary – I’m not talking about those. Thoughts of lack and limitation that prevent us from achieving our greatest potential and success are what we need to train ourselves to eliminate.

I can recall several times over the course of my career where a rookie entered the commercial real estate business and completed a series of amazing transactions. Everyone looked at each other and said, “How did he do it?” Well, I know how. This rookie didn’t know what he didn’t know. Make sense? In other words, he didn’t know to place limitations on himself that many veterans of the industry had imposed upon themselves. As a result, he made cold calls on clients that others thought to be untouchable or intractable. And guess what? He got deals done.

Why do we limit ourselves in the first place? Often it is the result of fear or a lack of knowledge. Analyze the following statement. “I can’t pursue that business opportunity because I don’t have the money to do so.” This statement contains both the “I can’t” and “I don’t” negative affirmations which will probably result in this person not pursuing the business opportunity. Most likely the underlying reason for the statement is that this person either has a fear about the business opportunity – perhaps it’s a fear of failure – or he/she simply doesn’t know how to find the money needed. Regardless, the opportunity won’t be pursued because this person has built a brick wall around it.

So, what’s the truth? We have a choice to either create reality or face reality. If we choose to create our reality, we can do so by removing all thoughts of lack and limitation. We tap into our creative energy and identify the resources that we need to succeed. We pursue that business opportunity because we find a way to raise the money that is needed. In several of the companies with which I’m involved, we regularly complete apartment developments and acquisitions utilizing very complex financial structures. We’ve rescued many a deal from the scrap heap because we not only have the knowledge to figure out how to make them work, but we also have no fear of failure. Do we fail? Sure we do. But our failures are simply steps toward our ultimate end goal. And we manage our risk so that none of our failures are fatal.

Who Needs King Midas?

Posted on June 8, 2014 by anentrepreneurswords

We all know the story of King Midas. The satyr Silenus became drunk and wandered into King Midas’ rose garden where he passed out. Midas found him and treated him kindly whereupon Silenus offered Midas a wish. The king asked that everything he touched would turn to gold. The wish was granted and thereafter everything that Midas touched turned to gold . . . including his daughter. Sadly, Midas died of starvation because even the food he touched turned to gold. Did Midas actually prosper through all of this?

Prosperity and abundance take many forms. This blog is specifically about financial prosperity. As entrepreneurs we have an opportunity to take stock about our attitude toward prosperity. Early in my career I was focused on the Almighty Dollar. Everything was about money for me. And the harder I chased it, the more elusive it became. It seemed as though I could see prosperity, but it was always just barely beyond my outstretched fingertips. What a frustrating period this was for me!

It’s easy now for me to see why I wasn’t prosperous. Very simply, I had the wrong attitude. I have a surefire, 100% guaranteed method that will ensure that you will enjoy financial prosperity beyond your wildest dreams. And unlike a lot of snake oil salesmen that are peddling their methods, I’m going to pass it along to you absolutely free! Here’s what worked for me.

First, I stopped focusing on money and instead found my Passion. I’ve written before about a concept that Simon Sinek discusses in his book entitled, Start with Why. When we understand WHY we exist and then align everything in our lives with our WHY we begin to live our passion. If we start with our WHY, our HOW and our WHAT will emerge effortlessly.

Second, I embraced Tithing. I give away at least 10% of every dime that comes into my life. We tithe to that which feeds our soul. This might be to a church or some other individual or cause that truly makes a spiritual difference in our lives – and I’m not talking about just religion here. Tithing enables me to see the Law of Attraction at work every single day for I know that when I give away my treasure without condition, I attract much more Good into my life.

Third, I have No Fear of lack or limitation whatsoever. When I write a large tithing check I never wonder for one second if I should give less or keep the money in my bank account until my balance is a little larger. No matter what happens – no matter how tough or bleak things may be in the moment, I always know that good things will come my way – and they always do!

Finally I do my darnedest to maintain Positive Mindset at all times. Negative thoughts are toxic and poisonous to positive energy. And positive energy is necessary to deliver prosperity. Fortunately this isn’t too hard to do as I live my passion every day.

Financial prosperity comes about when we intentionally create the environment for it to grow and flourish. When we do this who needs King Midas?

A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Posted on September 22, 2013 by anentrepreneurswords

Question: I can’t seem to get ahead financially. I save a little bit and the next thing I know something unexpected drains the bank account. This is really discouraging.

Answer: How many books and articles have been written about the subject of prosperity? The subject has been extensively dissected and there’s no doubt you will find some great techniques that may help you with your personal financial affairs. But that’s not what I want to explore with you.

I’d like to offer a concept called Intentional Abundance. I strongly believe that prosperity is a state of mind. It’s not externally generated and we’re not at the mercy of others when it comes to realizing our prosperity. When combined with various prosperity techniques, Intentional Abundance creates the mindset that is necessary to bring to bear the results that we seek. So what exactly is Intentional Abundance? Simply put, it means that we absolutely positively know with every fiber of our being that prosperity will be ours! Even when it may seem that abundance is a fleeting concept, if we remain steadfast with our belief that prosperity is ours to claim, it will ultimately be the truth.

Part of Intentional Abundance is the realization that prosperity is totally within our control. When we think, “Oh my, I don’t have enough money to pay the electric bill right now,” we’re affirming lack and limitation. Our minds are so powerful that this sort of affirmation can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, we must know that there’s no doubt about it that somehow we’ll find a way to pay the electric bill. I’ve been living my life this way for years. And here’s what’s so amazing. By having no worries or doubts, my prosperity flows from so many sources and at greater levels that one might call it Unexpected Abundance. Except that it’s not. In fact it’s Intentional Abundance.

We can all live a life of Intentional Abundance if we choose to. This mindset requires us to train our minds not to accept thoughts of lack, limitation, doubt and worry. Every time we feel such thoughts creeping into our consciousness, we must release them and replace them with positive thoughts of prosperity and abundance. Eventually the negative thoughts will no longer exist.

Intentional Abundance is a mindset of eager expectation. When we fully embrace it our financial needs will always be met above and beyond our wildest dreams.

Blockages

Posted on July 14, 2013 by anentrepreneurswords

Question: Lately it seems like everything is harder than it should be. My concentration isn’t as good as it needs to be and I feel like I’m running into walls. What is wrong?

Answer: Sometimes we experience blockages in our lives. We create these blockages and don’t even realize we are doing it. To understand and effectively deal with blockages, we must first understand the flow of positive energy. I believe that every human being is born into a constant flow of positive energy. Do you know what it feels like when everything seems to be going right? That’s the flow of positive energy. Now some may say that this sounds a little “woo-woo.” Woo-woo or not, there’s not a doubt in my mind that this river of positive energy is always there.

What happens when we place a log or a rock in a river? It blocks the water flow at that immediate point, though the water continues to flow over, under and around the log or rock. We create blockages that interrupt the flow of positive energy. When we have thoughts of limitation – a blockage will form. Every time we say “I can’t,” that’s a blockage. And these blockages aren’t targeted. They permeate every cell of our being. Blockages are also caused by disease, anger, envy and general negativity, just to name a few.

Armed with the knowledge that we create our own blockages we can proceed to eliminate them. The word elimination is the key here. I’m sure someone will say, “You claim that disease is a blockage – I can’t help it if I get sick!” Ah, but how we choose to deal with disease determines whether or not it will be a blockage. If we continually affirm that we are sick, the blockage to our positive energy flow will be created. As entrepreneurs, we must be on the lookout for blockages and eliminate them each time we become aware. Entrepreneurial spirit thrives on positive energy and dies under the weight of negative blockages. As an entrepreneur, there are times when I find myself in a funk and am not experiencing normal levels of success. The first thing I do is look for blockages and once identified, I eliminate them. If I’ve had an unhappy experience with a particular individual, I will apologize and try to make things right. Waiting to do this only keeps the blockage in place that much longer and has a profound impact on our lives.

Restoring and maintaining our flow of positive energy is crucial to our happiness and success. Quickly identifying the source of blockages and eliminating them ensures that we will stay in the positive flow at all times.

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