You Can’t Learn Success

Because you already have it! Success is an inherent trait in humankind’s DNA.

Imagine if babies wouldn’t try standing up again after falling, we would still be crawling. Imagine if the Wright Brothers would have abandoned their dream after crashing again, and again, and again. And, what if Thomas Edison would have given up trying and testing on his way to developing the practical light bulb?

You get it, right? But, here comes the conditioning; although success is inherent, it requires practicing and exercising four crucial building blocks: belief, determination, persistence, and time. Sometimes lots of time. Take, for example, Sagi Muki, the Israeli Judoka who won the 2019 Jodo World Championship in the under 81 kg weight class. Muki started training when he was four years old, and it took him 16 years!!! to win his first medal and another 7 to win the World Championship.    

So why, when founding a startup, entrepreneurs expect to succeed overnight? 

Let’s rewind a little and go back to define success. Although the elements are the same, i.e., belief, determination, persistence, and time success is personal. For one it’s fame and fortune, for another it’s finding true love, for the third it’s becoming a parent, saving an endangered species from extinction, cutting some inches of the waist, or running a marathon; you name it. Yet, making it in a world of racing technology and instant everything is not an easy task. And business, my friends, is no different. For a startup to achieve, entrepreneurs just like in sports, research, dieting, and any other field need to commit, plan, be willing to pay the price, try, err, and practice repeatedly.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to discourage you just sharing what I have learned following many years of working with entrepreneurs and startups. And yes, there is more because success in the startup era is more than an idea, the science behind it, a method, a business plan, and capital. It’s a matrix that includes the path we choose to walk, the life we lead, and figuring out what holds us back and overcoming it. From my experience, working with a business mentor helps to keep entrepreneurs on track, focused on their business plan and venture while practicing the crucial-4 on their way to success.

Now go practice your success.

Cheers,
Nir