I was reading an article earlier on 7 life lessons from the very wealthy. $12 to $50 Billion dollars net worth kind of wealthy. First of all, I was very interested to see what they would determine to be the 7 life lessons. Second of all, I was interested to find out WHY they feel that way.
When it came down to it, most of the life lessons came back to the same thing: life experiences. Sure, you can have Lamborghini's in every color that they make, but it's only got two seats. And you can only drive one at a time. One thing that I've appreciated a lot since graduating from high school is the people that I surround myself with. Of course some of my best friends are from PA, where I was born and raised, but going through 2 years of college, pledgeship, and trips all over the country have created some pretty tight bonds with people.
All through EXPERIENCES.
I know you're thinking, "I thought this post was about goals?" Well, you're right. I'm sure that I'll be called crazy, and rightfully so, but I set my goals based on what I want to be able to EXPERIENCE rather than what I want to ACCOMPLISH. As an entrepreneur of a startup I think it's hard to set a goal as far as the success of the startup goes. We all know the statistics: 3 out of 10 startups make it 6 months. 1 of the last 3 makes it 3 years, blah, blah, blah. I don't accept failure when I put everything I have into something. Your estimates for revenue the first year may be $10 Million, but will you be upset if you make $3 Million?? I don't think so.
My main goal right now (you can ask a lot of my friends and they'll tell you all the ridiculous stuff I want to do when I become successful) is to move into a top floor penthouse in a skyscraper in downtown Atlanta by the end of Summer 2012. That's it. Sure, I want to launch a few startups between now and then, but for me those startups are simply stepping stones to my goal of living on the 50th floor.
Some people might say, well all you care about is money and you're only going to be 21 years old at the end of the summer next year. Yes, but think about what comes along with being 21 and living on the top floor downtown. 1) My friends all have an awesome place to come stay in Atlanta. How many people get to say that they are just going to Atlanta for the weekend and are staying in a penthouse? Not many that I know yet. 2) Everything that goes on in Atlanta. If I'm able to afford a penthouse downtown then you already know I can afford at least partial season tickets to the Falcons, Braves, and Hawks. And tickets to concerts, shows, and anything else that goes on the greater Atlanta area.
The negative people reading this right now are thinking, "You won't be able to reach that kind of success in a year and afford that kind of living at 21." First, I say, "Watch me.", but second I refer them to the statement above when I talked about gauging success of a startup. I always shoot for the $10 Million and do everything I can to make that happen, but there are things in this world that can not be controlled. If I end up with $3 Million at the end of the year will I be disappointed? Sure. Will I be upset? Not at all.
You've got to accept that sometimes you will come short of your goals because of an outside reason. I won't be complaining when I shoot for the stars and end up at the moon, though.
Don't just live life. LOVE life with no regrets. Always do what makes YOU happy.
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BPL
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