This has been an interesting year for some people, me included. The company that was my primary income declared bankruptcy, and became my secondary job in the same 12 month period. How you do you stay on the road to success when this happens?
Some of my friends have pinned their lives on various other events this year over which they have no control. Overall, my closest group of friends are all doing quite well when compared to last year and the year before. Sadly a few have become emotionally invested in events that they have no way to control or benefit from.
Why is that? The economic data says that people aren't doing better. They might be back at work but relative to inflation, average incomes are down, the cost of housing is on the rise and most people are struggling to make ends meet. So what is the difference between my friends who are doing better and everyone else? Do you want to know? I mean, do you REALLY want to know what success keys they have?
My question is for those of us that are a little farther along in life, what would you have liked to have really known 20 years ago? What knowledge would have changed your life? What would you do differently? I will tell you there are two main things that I would have done differently had I been given the right information. I have enough that I wish I knew to write a book. If I do, will you want to read it?
My next question for the younger people. Do you want to know? I am not sure that I would have at the time. My niece is more worried about her friends. My nephew though, his is paying attention.
In my 20's, I was on a mission to do something, the problem was that I didn't know what that something was. Even if I was given the right information, would I have done anything different? I almost think I was given the information, and ignored it because it didn't fit my world. What I needed was a real mentor, and I didn't have one. I had some great coaches though.
This week I took a class with Marki Costello. The Costello name comes directly from the "Abbot and Costello" comedy franchise. In the world of Hollywood, she is part of the royal circle. During the class I talked to a woman for two and a half minutes.
Marki said to "interview" this woman and only listen to what she was saying. All of my questions were supposed to be related to what she said. Sadly, I couldn't. The coach in me was fighting to get out, and yet while I did what I was supposed to do, she just said the same thing over and over. I listened and she never asked me for advice. She just told me how she was doing it. It was like looking in a time warped mirror. I could hear myself 20 years ago and wanted to reach over and tell her to shut up and listen. I wanted to set her straight, and show her why her life wasn't going where she wanted it too. I didn't.
This leads to the first lesson and the first thing I wish I had known. I don't mean known like I could tell my friends, but known like truly understood. There are some people who really know what they want early on in life. Jon Bon Jovi nailed it early on in life. Me? I was just goofing off with no direction. This woman had four jobs, and hasn't made real success at any of them. I have had four jobs and by most accounts I am now "successful" at all of them. She hasn't truly hit success in any of them and can't focus on any one of them. Sadly she is the only one in the way of her success.
It is funny that it worked out for me the way it did. As a kid I used to watch Family Ties with Michael J. Fox because I was the entrepreneur in the household of "safe" people. I used to read about interest rates, and how to make money in real estate all the way back to the 5th grade. Before that I was on TV as a kid on "Romper Room" and early reality TV on ABC's Junior All Star program.
Safe people can be like my in-laws and work for the government and get a check on the 1st and 15th, or like my parents and become doctors. My mom got a Ph.D. from Stanford and my Father was a Dentist who graduated from USC. It is just a different version of "safe" income. Their degrees were as reliable at getting jobs as the government was for my in-laws. So what did I do? I left home without finishing High School.
So would I listen? I don't know. Do you want to listen? I hope so.
The one thing I would change is the four job thing. While I am having a good time now, the individual struggles with each job delayed growth in others. Being in the top 10% of four jobs isn't nearly as rewarding as being in the top 1% of just one job.
My hindsight tells me that I focused on the wrong job first. John Travolta became an actor first, pilot second. I did it the other way around. I spent many more years to become a professional pilot before I could start in real estate as an investor and Realtor while working to build my knowledge of business and marketing. Finally I returned to acting part time a year ago. So who makes more money? John Travolta without a doubt. Who works less? I am guessing John Travolta.
I am not complaining about my life, rather I am pointing out that if I had known then what I know now, I would hope that I would approach things differently. I could do all of the same things and by simply changing the order, I could have been more successful at any one of them or all of them. If I knew then what I know now.
So my question to you is this. If I sat down with my high roller friends who are pilots, actors, real estate investors and business owners, living in million dollar homes, would you be interested in knowing what they wished they had known then? Would you change what you are doing now if they shared that knowledge?
That is what I want to know.
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Thank you for your insights.