Are you a baby? Do you like to complain a lot that the world isn’t fair? If you want to really know what’s not fair, fly to New Delhi and spend a week walking the streets outside of city center. You will see more poverty than you can ever imagine with practically all the kids having absolutely no chance of breaking out of their cycle. What did they do but be born in a place of tremendous social inequality.
Yet here you are, crying about why you didn’t get a promotion, a job, or an investment in your start-up. Because you got rejected, you start bad mouthing organizations saying it’s their loss, and that going the conventional route is for losers. You go protest corporations and rich people for your failure even though you’re the one who decided to take out massive student loans and buy that property at the top of the market.
As a blogger, you somehow have delusions that being an “A-List” blogger has any meaning, and you write about ruling the world and being so great. Your products on how to sell products aren’t selling and you feel nobody gives a damn about you. You write pity posts, accompanied with “look how great my life is” posts to make yourself feel better. Give me a break.
Let’s be brutally honest here: Your product, blog, career, and project are getting no love because they suck. Nobody needs to buy an e-book on how to be a better social media marketer, minimalist, or blogger. If they do buy from you, how do you live with yourself? Give them their money back!
No boss will promote you when you get in at 9am and leave at 5pm while providing nothing unique to the table. No investor will give you money for your start-up if it’s quite evident you haven’t thought the competitive landscape through and haven’t framed out a sustainable business model.
Maybe you’re delusional? Maybe you’re clueless? Or maybe you’re just dumb. The reality most likely is that you just aren’t trying hard enough!
STOP BEING SUCH A LAZY CRYBABY
1) School. If you know good grades leads to more opportunities due to better colleges and therefore access to higher quality recruiting companies (Facebook, Google, McKinsey, Zynga, Amazon, etc), wouldn’t you just study longer to get better grades? All you got to do is read all chapters and do all assignments before you go out binge drinking! But no, you’ll read tons of blogs about why grades don’t matter and get pumped and not even give yourself a chance.
2) Online: If you knew you could make $5,000-$10,000 regularly a month from your online endeavors in a couple years, wouldn’t you try harder? It’s so easy to do, you don’t need to buy an infoproduct to tell you how to work harder! As a blogger, all you have to do is write consistently, develop relationships, guest post on other sites, and your readership grows. As your readership grows, advertisers come out of the woodwork to display ads on your site. You don’t even have to do a thing except write!
3) Career: If you knew you could get promoted in your organization if you got in at 7am instead of at 8am everyday for 2 years, wouldn’t you set your alarm for 6am and just come in earlier? The easiest thing anybody can do is get in early and show their colleagues and bosses that they are dedicated. Who is the organization going to fire in a downturn? You, the one who is always there before everyone else busting your butt, or the person who always comes in 15 minutes late, and calls in sick on a Friday? 10% unemployment means 90% of people are statistically still employed. You can say it’s the economic downturns fault, or that the company decided to cut your division down as a reason you got let go. But you know everything is rational. Nobody fires their best performers.
4) Relationships: If you know that building good relationships off-line and on-line makes you happier and helps everybody get things done more efficiently, wouldn’t you make a plan to reach out to as many people in your niche and get to know them as thoroughly as possible? Just think, if you made a goal to meet 5 new people off-line and on-line a month, you would develop 60 solid relationships a year! Why don’t you write personalized e-mails to people you want to get to know? Why don’t you offer to selflessly help others without asking for anything in return? Why don’t you comment on other sites, or at least respond to the comments on your own? Make the effort!
5) Love: If you know that women prefer confident men who are hygienic, funny, and kind-hearted, why are you still not flossing your teeth twice a day, brushing your hair, carrying a mint, taking a shower and acting like an ass-hole? If you know men also prefer confident women who don’t think they walk on water, have ambition and keep themselves in decent shape, why do you still act so flippant and stuff your face with cupcakes everyday? Don’t come complaining about being single at 35 years old when you aren’t even willing to pay for your date’s meal or go to the gym. Don’t whine about nobody loving you because your personality is as dead as the hearts of politicians everywhere!
AN EXAMPLE OF A LOSER WHO DECIDED TO STOP DICKING AROUND
I knew a guy in 2001 who said he was going to start a blog and make a little side income. He talked about it for 8 consecutive years with no action because he was always “too busy”. First it was the 60-70 hour a week work days that got to him. Then it was going to business school part-time and spending 9 hours every Saturday attending class that got to him. He complained he had no computer skills and didn’t even know where to start. Finally, the economy just detonated in 2008/2009 and he just said screw it.
He decided to put an ad out on Craigslist to hire someone to help design and get his site off the ground. He literally knew less than nothing about nothing, it was that bad. But, at least he made an effort to just get started. In the summer of 2009, after some brainstorming, he launched Financial Samurai. Six months later, after being rejected left right and center from every network he asked to join, the Yakezie Network was born. Two and a half years later, he can literally be a beach bum in Hawaii because he decided to stop making excuses.
I waited so long to start online that I probably gave up over $1,500,000+ in online revenue if I had just started when the first idea came in 2001. What a burn! While I was too busy focusing on my career, school, and relationships, I failed to just start something that I knew was a no-brainer. It took an economic Armageddon to get started, which is embarrassing because it shows how unmotivated I was. Two and a half years went by in a blink of an eye.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH US?
Hard work requires NO skill. You don’t have to be gifted with the ability to sing, run fast, jump high, or calculate difficult mathematical formulas in your head. Hard work only requires hard work, which is simply putting in your time towards a specified goal. Sure, being gifted will certainly help you achieve your goals faster, but it doesn’t matter how gifted you are if you don’t have the resolve to stick with things for the long term.
Stop with the entitlements and thoughts that the world owes you something. If you live in a country that doesn’t persecute their citizens for their religion, race, color, or class, then you already have a massive head start over hundreds of millions of people. You are already one of the world’s top income earners! Have you noticed what’s going on with the US economy and the government? We’ve got too many people who feel so entitled and not willing to pay for themselves that the economy is in a death spiral of ever continued borrowing. Hello, if you’re 50 years old and you’ve been working for the past 25 years, have you really saved nothing for a rainy day?
Please stop complaining about how life is so hard. Unless you have an obvious handicap, or your parents physically and mentally abused you, the fact of the matter is our standard of living has never been higher. You can do anything you want, so long as you put in the effort. Stop visiting sites that are one big pity fest and prey on your fears and insecurities. Start creating your own “luck.” There’s no magic in success.
Readers, are you trying as hard as possible? Do you empathize with people who live in a free country but complain all day? Why don’t you think more people can’t just rock it with whatever endeavor they’ve set out to undertake?
Regards,
Sam
I have personally experienced how networking has helped grow my blog and a small amount of income from it. Who knew?? Thanks for the inspiration to work harder.
What the duece! I thought Samurai didn’t guest post. I currently have everything but #2 :-(. I’m working on it. Give me 12 months and I’ll be where I should be.
Hard work beats out lazy, gifted-ness every time. I’m really tired of people complaining they “deserve” something. I recently listened to a radio commercial that made me want to puke, a grandfather was talking to his young grandson and the boy said, “I love your house grandpa. I hope I have one like this someday.” and the grandpa said, “I hope you do too, so, I hope you do.” In a sad tone. I wanted to scream, “work hard, get a job, spend less than you earn you moron!” That’s the advice gramps should have given his grandson!
I wonder if the grandson is expecting to inherit the house from his grandpa!?
HooooRahh – way to stir up some action.
I’ll see action when I see it! 🙂
But it seems that from 2001 – 2010, you were investing in a career, right? You thought that would be your big moneymaker. And its only in hindsight that you realized that your blog, not your traditional career, would be your ticket to riches. That doesn’t sound like you made a mistake. It sounds like you made a strategic move to focus on your career instead of your blog.
Yes, that’s correct, however, I had ample time to work on my online endeavors as well. Weekends were chalk a block full of non-productivity.
I really enjoyed this article, it put a lot of things in perspective because I know I could always work harder towards my endeavors. But I will say that my attitude is in the right place. I know the things I need to accomplish in order for me to ultimately reach my long term goals. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this issue that is effecting tons of people in this world, it truly motivates me to work harder and put in the effort in every aspect in life!
I still cant believe the excuse making by some people! I’m going to grad school (almost done) writing online and working a full time job, all while trying to figure out ideas to cut my expenses and start up my own business during the time when I’m not doing any of those things. Some people just dont want it bad enough, or if they do, they are afraid of starting to get it.
Hard work will pay off. It’s simple, but the truth is people are too soft in the US. They have cushy lives and expect things to be easy and turn out well. Maybe it was like that 20 years ago, but now the rest of the world has caught up. Why should life in the US be so much easier than life in China? Let’s face it, we all have to work hard now. Life is not easy peachy anymore.
Yes, with globalization, it’s not just Americans or people in our own country we are competing against, it’s the whole darn world! If we’re not huffy enough, someone else is!
Really great point, and something I’m reminded of every time I step outside the country. We have it really good here, so we do need to make the best use of it.
The career point reminds me of the movie “Horrible Bosses” – the movie showed a guy who got in at 6am every day, worked his butt off, but still didn’t get recognized for it. A talented investment banker friend can’t find work “because of the recession” (the movie required this assumption to justify why these guys wouldn’t just quit and find work elsewhere.)
I think people are more willing to believe this scenario, even though the truth is actually nicer – work hard, and you’ll get noticed. I think you *could* get “stuck” at some point, if you’re just not aggressive enough/charismatic enough to get to CEO, for example, but you’ll still be doing very well. And the faster you get promoted when you’re young, the more money you’ll make total in your lifetime.
Nobody should expect to get to CEO! There is only 1 CEO in a firm, so forget about it. Just focus on doing what you can to be the best in your group or department.
Tis true, the quicker you can build your base early, the bigger and LONGER the income multiplier. Which is why… it’s important to stop dicking around at an early age!
“Hard work requires NO skill.” -> awesome, and how true that is. You’ve only got 168 hours a week. Wasting time? You should probably add those to your working hours. Throw your heart and your brain into the ones that you’re working, and you’ll go far.
Indeed man…. it’s the most amazing tautology regarding hard work!
The people who say work smarter, not harder, are just making excuses for not working harder.
Blogging bum to a beach bum in Hawaii! That is a spectacular story! I didn’t really know the history behind how you got started, thanks for sharing Sam!
I truly enjoyed working out of Hawaii that one past week this year. The time zone was great, and the experience was wonderful!
As soon as I read “I knew a guy in 2001 who said he was going to start a blog…” the person was obvious.
I don’t empathize with anyone who takes what they have for granted, are too lazy to improve the things they don’t like, or blame others for their failures. There are many reasons why people can’t rock it. Time is the biggest factor as some people stretch themselves so thin that they have trouble putting 100% into everything they set out to do. Another reason is simply drive–many people are into instant gratification and don’t have the patience to continually push forward in spite of early setbacks or lack of results. And I certainly have a distaste for people with a sense of entitlement.
Was it that obvious? I guess I have to draw out the story more and elaborate!
Very awesome post. I wish my younger self could have read this.
I have to voice a disagreement with the career : it might save you from getting laid off but sometimes the people who get laid off are the lucky ones. they are the ones that get the time off and seed money to start something else. But otherwise I agree with you.
I never thought about blogging before 2010, but I am glad I did. I have never stuck with anything for the long-term before I started my blog, and seeing the difference that makes has resulted in a lot of positive changes for me. I finally have an option and that is the real dream!
I’m hoping the younger demographics on this site do read this.
I guess you can take the optimistic approach to getting laid off. However, it’s better to not be laid off and have the OPTION of quitting and doing your own thing instead.
Having options is good, I agree. However, I don’t think it’s always black and white. What if you got a full year’s salary as your severance? That would be pretty sweet, and awesome capital to start up something else. It certainly beats staying on board a sinking ship, options or not. So, I don’t see it as always being a bad thing. Also, the other optimistic angle is that it forces you to adapt and look toward better opportunities and change.
I guess it depends on how long you’ve been there for your 1 year severance. 5 years or less, 1 year is sweet! 10 years working, 1 year is not bad. 25 years… that sucks.
Perhaps a fun way is to work, get a pay check, not really care b/c it’s a sinking ship and just do what you really want on the side?
Oh, it would have been SWEET. But that’s gone now. 😉
I think no matter what you should go out with honor, even if it’s a sinking ship. But at the same time, it’s not YOUR ship, so you don’t need to drown with it.
I do think that I am a hard worker considering that I get up at 4:30 most mornings to work on the blog and worked 55 hours last week. If I ever do complain about something, please point it out to me because it is certainly not intentional. I agree with much of what you write.
Sure, will let you know! lol.
4:30am regularly is early! That’s earlier than me. I’m more around 5-5:30am.
Keep the complainers away from me! It is one thing to complain to the manager about a bad meal at a restaurant, but don’t complain when you are doing nothing about it. I hate excuses for not doing something too.
What finally motivated you enough to go forward?
Economic Armageddon in the 4th quarter of 2008 was the catalyst. I felt that with so much carnage, and potential downtime, why not finally start the site. Writing is very cathartic, and I recommend everybody to write either publicly or privately.
Very inspiring article Sam. that’s too much of a money to miss. Feeling pity for you. I was too frugal to put the initial blog expenses. There is no alternative to hard work.
It’s OK SB. Don’t feel pity for me! Feel pity for those who still expect the world and expect not to do anything about it.
Better late than never!
People love to make excuses when they fail and when things don’t go the way they want. The key of tackling disappointment and mistakes is to turn our failure into knowledge and learn from these experiences. It always takes failure, in more ways than one, in order to become successful. We have to be responsible for our actions and futures if we want to be happy and achieve our own goals. You’ve accomplished a ton Sam and I know you’ve worked super hard and put in countless hours to get to where you are today!
Excuses is why it’s easy for anybody who doesn’t make excuses to compete.
I’m not sure if my message will really ever penetrate through to those who blame the world for their problems.
Perhaps it’s better to convince people ARE special, so that it makes it easier for the rest of us to compete since we aren’t delusional. Hmmm…..
Love this post. Very motivational. You have to be a go-getter in this society…or you will be weeded out.