Yin vs YangThe Battle for Success in Life

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Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Every Wednesday is Personal Development in Business…

The other night, I was lucky to catch the Ridley Scott classic, Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe, on TV. I have the DVD, but it is one of those films I have a hard time turning off whenever I see it. For those that have not seen it (rent it now!), the movie is about a man who has everything taken from him and is forced to fight as a gladiator. It is there that he attains his revenge.

As I was watching the movie for the umpteenth time, it got me thinking about my business. In the movie, the one thing that Russell Crowe does best is fight. He starts out as one of Rome’s most celebrated generals, and ends as its most renowned Gladiator.  No matter what happened in his life, when it came down to a fight, he was right at home. However, after his son and wife were murdered, he is ready to give up fighting for anything anymore. He finds it pointless until he realizes the best way to achieve his revenge is by doing what he does best.

The Business Arena

In the business world, especially in today’s tough times, it can be hard to reach our necessary goals. I know that I have been building a company with my partner for a year, and we learn new things every day. There are numerous opportunities out there for us to make money with our talents. My partner is an incredible web designer, and I have been writing & producing videos for over 10 years.  Between the two of us, there are numerous ways for us to earn a living. Because of this, it can get confusing some times. We have created commercials, websites, and print media for all types of businesses. When someone wants to pay you for your services, it can be hard to say no.

However, that is not a gladiator. A gladiator is born and bred to do one thing, and that is fight. His life, though full of danger, is very simple. He has to be the best fighter he can be. He does not need to know anything else except how to handle his weapon of choice in the arena. That is all he needs to concentrate on.

The same goes for business. My partner and I have always had a niche for the martial arts, entertainment & music industries. It is what we enjoy doing because we enjoy mixing edgy graphics with great functionality. We love music, entertainment, and martial arts. So when a project comes along that fits that bill, are true talents naturally surface. It is as if we are in the arena slaying all of the client’s competition. We are at home.

When we get other projects that we are capable of doing, but does not fit our forte, we have not been as successful. Sure, the clients have been happy, and they got what they desired, but it is us that never feels satisfied. In other industries, our work is less enjoyable. Being that it is creative work, the enjoyment factor plays a major role in the project’s outcome.

Do What You Do Best

Just like Russell Crowe’s character, no matter what our goal is, there is only one way we are going to get there. That is by focusing on our strengths and doing what we do best. A Gladiator does not worry about the Senate, or try to figure out how to build a better arena. He does not worry about the crowd’s looking on, or the politics of the land he is in. All he worries about is the opponent(s), and doing his best to beat them.

The same exact thing needs to be applied to your business. For my partner and I, it took us a little while to realize this. All of the projects we could make money on, but did not fit our forte, wound up becoming headaches. They lacked the enjoyment necessary to put our passion into the work. We were more than capable of doing them, but that does not mean we needed to. Even though money can be tight in the first year of any business, it is not the profit that makes you money in the years to come. It is the work and service that you provide.

Just like a gladiator, it is the reputation you build that brings on real success.

Slaying the Competition

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For those of you with your own business, think of it as being in the arena. There are many weapons you can use. Which one fits you best? Take that weapon and master it. Don’t worry about learning to use every weapon out there. Become a master of one, and build from there. Over the course of your career, the opponents will change all the time. Some will be big and strong, others small and fast, but you must be ready for all. You must know that whatever opponent comes out of the gate does not matter. This is what you do. This is what makes you who you are.

Unlike a gladiator, money plays a big role in any business. Paying the bills is the top priority, so sometimes it can feel as if you need to take those jobs out of your realm. You may have to. I am not going to tell you to just forget about your bills. However, those jobs will only accomplish a single objective: making money. They will not help build your reputation, they will not be easy, and they will take more time because your passion will be lacking. At the beginning, it can seem making that money is a good thing, but once you dive into the project, you will likely find a different story. You may even be wasting time instead of finding the work that will help build your reputation.

When to Walk Away

When I used to do mortgages, it was the same story. There are many different mortgages out there (at least there used to be). There were refinances, FHA, VA, purchases, FHA streamlines, option ARMS, ARMS, and reverse mortgages. As long as I had the proper license, I could easily do anyone of those. Throw in the 50 states, and now there were so many options, your head could spin. When I first started I was so happy to get a lead, I did not care what kind of mortgage it was. However, my first boss gave me a classic piece of advice good for any business…

“In this business, it is not the deals you get, but the ones you walk away from that make you successful.”

What he meant was that each loan that I had no experience in was going to take twice as long. Sure I would make money, but if you coupled that with the time it took to figure out the process, and the fact that my customer service would be worse because of my lack of experience, you soon understood what he meant. The key to making money in mortgages was concentrating on whatever loans you did best. If you were a pro at refinances in NJ, then do not worry about a purchase in Pennsylvania, or an FHA streamline in Florida. The ratio of time to profit would not be worth your while.

So the next time the opportunity comes for you to make money in something that is not your forte, think of the Gladiator. Think of that Gladiator trying to make money by leading the Senate, or becoming a salesman. Think of how silly a Senator would look in Gladiator garb, walking around the Senate. Think of the time they would be wasting while they could simply be at home in the arena, slaying the competition they are so familiar with.

Remember, just like a gladiator, it is not the money, but rather the reputation you are building that will ultimately take you anywhere you want to go.

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