Embrace The Bad Times

So it’s been over a year since I last updated this blog and I have learnt so much since then it's mind boggling. I am currently sitting in a plane flying up to see one of my companies key mining clients... it was not much longer than a year ago that my company was nothing but an idea and a dream. It is so interesting and humbling to look back and see how far we’ve really come in a relatively short period of time.

As you know, the name of my blog is called “How to be a millionaire before 25” and I am sure you are all wondering how I’m tracking towards this goal? Rightly so. The purpose of this blog was to share my experiences and lessons with other ambitious young people who want to achieve something “out of the ordinary” in their life, whether it be climbing the corporate ladder to become the youngest CEO of a company or to start your own business from scratch and dominate your older more experienced competitors. What ever it is you want to achieve I think that by watching and learning from my journey you will pick up some good ideas, tips and lessons.

So back to how my progress is going. My goal is to become a multi-millionaire (measured by net assets) before my 25th birthday. I am very close to achieving this goal, and if things keep going the way they are I will definitely reach it by February 22nd 2014. The value of my company is increasing everyday as we work to improve our systems, increase our marketing and expand on the products and services we provide. However without knowing the intimate details of my business and how it operates, from the outside looking in you would never guess that I am well on my way to becoming a millionaire. Currently I am going through the pain of sacrificing short term lifestyle by investing back into my company, for the long term gain of a successful and stable empire. This leads me to the lesson that I want to share with you today. No pain, No gain.

When trying to achieve something out of the ordinary, something of significance or greatness, you will always come across difficult situations and challenging people. There will be times when you’ll want to quit and walk away, when you are scared, nervous, unsure or physically sick. But the difference between those who make it and those who don’t is the way they handle themselves when faced with these realities. “Courage is not the lack of fear but action in spite of it.” I love that saying.

I have been faced with many of these situations over the last few years and have had the courage to do what I had to do, and the funniest thing is that it’s these situations where I have learned the most and grown the most as a business owner and person in general. This is the reason why people like Donald Trump can go bankrupt, lose everything and do it again. It is the lessons they learnt and the person they became by having the courage to make the hard decisions, take the dreaded phone calls and attend the difficult meetings.

If you want to be in the top 1% of achievers you need to accept that there will be hard days, you need to promise yourself you will do what you need to do, regardless of if you’re scared or unsure. My advice “HARDEN UP!” In the words of Jim Rohn, who puts it much more eloquently than myself, “If you want an above average lifestyle, you need to become an above average person”. If being a millionaire before you’re 25, becoming a companies youngest ever CEO or whatever your goal is was easy a) Everyone would do it and b) It wouldn’t be much of a goal would it?

Accept and appreciate that hard times, as this is when you will grow and learn the most. It’s the hard times that will define you and is what separates winners from losers. Choose to be a winner and I’ll see you at the top!