Everyone hits a low point in their life, even successful entrepreneurs like Ehsanollah Bayat. These moments make people challenge their beliefs and questions their goals. During these difficult times, people who are successful in both work and life tend to keep four important things in mind.
1. Good things do not come easily.
While this isn’t true across the board and there are always exceptions to every rule, good things usually take work; they don’t simply fall into your lap. Sure, there are some lucky people who seem to get a big break, but even some of those lucky people had to work really hard before making a difference. Abraham Lincoln is a perfect example of this: he didn’t complete even an entire year of formal education, he ran for election a total of eight times before being chosen as president, and he failed a two big business ventures. Failure isn’t determined by when you fail, it’s determined by when you stop trying. Every failure is another chance to learn, to readjust your goals and means of reaching them, and to try again. Without failure, you’d never be able to improve, evolve, and grow.
2. Your perspective matters.
The way you view a problem is the best indicator of the weight of the problem. If you look at a problem as a challenge, it won’t hold as much weight as a problem that you let drag you down. The way you see things is determined by a variety of things, including your upbringing, values, culture, and experiences. While this can be applied to entrepreneurship and success, it can also be viewed on a small scale. For example, think about when you park a car at a mall during the holiday season. You can spend your time searching for a spot closest to the mall, finally deciding to park in the back of the lot because it’s so full of cars. You can decide how to look at the situation: as a problem or a challenge. Sure, it’s a pain to walk that extra distance, but in truth, how much longer will it really take you? Also, won’t you get a bit of exercise making the trek to the mall? When you reframe the problem, it becomes much less daunting.
3. Yesterday was the only easy day.
When Navy SEALs go through BUD/S training, they adopt the motto, “The only easy day was yesterday.” It means that since yesterday is over, it was the easiest day of the week; today and tomorrow still have to be endured. While the past doesn’t dictate the future, the present certainly does. Sure, you can learn from the past, but your primary goal should always be to move forward. If you only take past performance into account, you’ll never function better in the future.
4. There’s no “I” in “team.”
This is such a common phrase that it may sound corny, but when you really think about what it means, it plays a big role in your success. Whatever you’re working on, putting the team as a whole ahead of yourself is never a mistake. This isn’t a sign of submission, but instead of strength, because you can put yourself aside for the greater good. When you want to better a purpose instead of just yourself, you show others that you can see the big picture, and you encourage them to do the same. While you grow as an entrepreneur, you can help other people grow as well. In the end, this can only fare well for your business or project.
Beliefs play a vital role in success. Before you can take action, you have to get your state of mind in check. While everyone’s vision of success differs, the same basic outlooks are necessary for reaching those goals.