Here is an idea for a game show. It’s called “Who Wants to Be a Entrepreneur?“. We get to take a snapshot of the contestant’s lives and who ever makes the most sacrifices, wins! Woo-whoo! And what do you win? A life of more sacrifice, commitment, discipline and hard work with the slight possibility of making it big.
Don’t we all want to live the good life? Obviously, behind great success, lies greater sacrifices. I can say confidently, that many young entrepreneurs are not prepared for the journey that lies ahead. Either was I. While starting my first business, I thought all the money would just flow my way and I would be out playing while all my friends were working. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening.
While feeling like I am moving at the speed of light, I wanted to slow down for a second and take some time today to reflect. There are days these past few weeks where I have been working so hard at points that I feel delusional. Maybe that is from the 18-19 hour work days (I will tell you why at the end of this post). I have grown tremendously as a person and in business, yet sometimes feel like the guy to the right with all the mistakes I have made. I have come to understand that my failures are part of the process so I wanted to share with you what I found.
My last blog post here talked about 
We all know the routine well. We all are OR we all were young at one point. A hellacious work week leads to a weekend of “letting loose”. It usually involves the excessive consumption of various cocktails, maybe a little dancing, some good music, sexy people and several more cocktails. That was the routine for me practically every weekend from 17-22. Don’t ask me how I got into the bar or why I was even drinking before I was 21. Wait, you can just call it COLLEGE. I was not as innocent as I look. 
It was fun from what I can remember. I would not trade it for the world. Would you? 
The photographer caught me showcasing my best “Thriller” moves in this action shot. Lol. Yesterday, I had the privilege to speak at the Social Media Bootcamp in Rockford, IL. It is a two and a half day social media marathon for professionals and business owners. In the morning, I kicked off the event with my presentation “Purpose Driven Social Media” and later in the afternoon, I gave a talk on “How to Build a Tremendous Blog and Why.” I had a wonderful engaging audience that I was exceptionally grateful for.
For many, it is the ultimate dream to do what we love and what we are good at and get paid handsomely for it. Does one have to search their whole life to achieve this result? It may seem as if young professionals have to pay their dues, but that is not the case.
Inspiration can be found anywhere and everywhere. Even on the big screen. Being a motion picture fanatic, I like to watch movies not only for entertainment value, but I really enjoy ones that have a powerful message behind it. At the beginning of my journey as an entrepreneur, very few books were read. A handful of these movies inspired me to keep expanding my mind. Depending on our backgrounds, different movies will resonate with different people.
It must be great being you. I can’t imagine how many people would just love to go from where they are at now to where you are presently standing. Just think about all those crazy experiences you have been through over the years. There are probably so many people that you can relate with, who I can’t even connect with. It is like you have walked similar paths’. And what about all those stories that you haven’t even told me about yet. 
Four days after our wedding in March of 2006, my new husband and I awoke to the sound of a hotel alarm clock blaring its taunting reminder to wake up. It was 6am in Maui on a Wednesday, the second day of our much-anticipated romantic honeymoon. There were beaches to be laid on, champagne to be enjoyed, and hikes to be taken – just the two of us. But this alarm ringing in our ears wasn’t for any of those activities. It was for a conference call with a client – one that couldn’t be rescheduled.
