As I was laying by the pool yesterday, relaxing in my full on midlife crisis birthday (it was number 52, if you really wanted to know), I had a flood of thoughts come to mind. It was a lot of stuff I wish I would have known when I was younger, but probably needed to learn by experience.
I pulled out my “notes” app on my phone and began to get these thoughts out of my head and into some tangible words. Some of this you may have heard from me during a “Mike Janda Rant” of some sort. But if now, maybe there is a morsel of wisdom for you inside these random thoughts on business, career, and life.
But before we jump in, here is a pic of “little Mike” back in the 1970’s and “big Mike” late last summer. How is it possible I’ve been alive so long?
I wish “little Mike” would have know some of these things, but I think most of them are meant to be learned firsthand, through personal experience.
- Other people with much less talent than you have figured out how to make a successful career or business. You can to.
- No matter how scary it gets in your career or business, you’re not going to lose everything. That’s not the plan for you and you know it, so don’t let your mind go to that dark place.
- In all likelihood, this year will be better than last year and next year will be better than this year. Hang in there, be patient, and let it play out.
- Stop comparing yourself to others who are further along in their journey. Instead compare yourself to yourself one year ago, two years ago, three years ago. You’ll be amazed how far you’ve come.
- Money isn’t the only metric of success and it certainly isn’t the best one. Start counting the amount of people you significantly impact for the better and let money become a natural byproduct of the intent to bless others.
- Don’t worry so much about finding “the thing you were meant for” in your life and career. It takes times, sometimes decades to find it, and the path you’re on now will lead you there eventually.
- You can outwork people with more talent than you and achieve greater success. Your natural talent is just a small part of what will lead to your success. Hard work and discipline are much bigger determinants.
- Just because “so and so person” said “what and what” doesn’t mean it is right for you. Consume content from other people, take what feels right to you and adapt it for yourself. Then. chuck the rest of it.
- Nobody is doing as good as you think they’re doing. Everyone has something challenging going on behind the scenes.
- When you arrive at the top of the mountain you are currently climbing, you probably won’t feel the great sense of “completion” that you are hoping to feel. You’ll likely just find that behind your current mountain is another mountain that you are even more excited to summit. And after that one, is another and another. There is no end to it.
Those are my thoughts for you today. Maybe something in there resonates with you or maybe you’ve learned them for yourself already.
