A recent issue of ESPN Magazine included a short section on the inspirational messages pro football teams use to motivate their championship teams. Becoming an elite entrepreneur requires a similar dedication and commitment as becoming an elite athlete, thus the one-liners that inspire the toughest athletes should also inspire those working to succeed in business.
The New York Giants’ rather banal “No Toughness, No Championship” is fairly literal as far as football goes, but can relate to the struggles of startups as well. Every new venture hits stumbling blocks and experiences delays, lean times, and close calls. Without the perseverance to limp through these tough times, entrepreneurs would never get their ideas off the ground. Most startup ideas change and morph through the planning process, and successful entrepreneurs also have to be tough enough to let go of their original concepts in exchange for more viable options. In addition, startups take a lot out of you, both physically and mentally. No matter what your previous experience, there is a lot to learn about running your own business, and the time you will end up putting in to driving success will at times be overwhelming. Toughness is critical.
The Baltimore Ravens quote, “Take care of family, team, self” is also relevant to first-time entrepreneurs. It is very easy to pour yourself into the startup effort, leaving no time for your personal life. We know one entrepreneur who essentially survived on Dr. Pepper, cigarettes, and 4 hour naps during the first year of his startup…which fortunately turned out to be very successful. Unfortunately, he missed a full year of the rest of his life. There is really no good reason to launch a business this way. At some point, your productivity dwindles to nothing if you don’t take the time to take care of your other responsibilities. Schedule your time to include all aspects of your life that are a priority. Take care of yourself – get enough sleep, eat healthy. The stress of a startup puts enough burden on your immune system, no need to wreck your health on the road to independence.
The San Diego Chargers slogan is long but great for entrepreneurs. “Don’t be afraid to work hard enough to find out how good you can really be.” Once you have decided to take control of your work and financial future, why settle for anything less than all you can do? Don’t limit yourself unnecessarily, and don’t let fear of anything, especially failure, keep you from reaching as far as you can go.
The Philadelphia Eagles mantra is the best, and might have to be swiped for the LaunchX System…”The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare. ‘Nuff said.
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