YinvsYang

Patience is definitely a virtue that I was not born with.  In fact I started out life with absolutely no patience.  Throughout my young days I was always about the end result, never too concerned with the journey there.  It affected me greatly once I got into business, b/c to be successful in any business, you must be patient.

When I first opened my mortgage company, I remember rushing into getting all the equipment for the office.  I rushed into getting Loan Officers, a processor, and a branch company itself. I was sure that because of my drive, work ethic, and determination, the money would pour in.  It was just a matter of time and risk.  Well, I took the risk, but I did not take the time.

Taking time in business can be very hard.  Most of us don’t have the savings we need to start a business properly.  The average business doesn’t turn a profit for 5 years.  I remember when my family opened up a huge million dollar camp, they did not see a dollar out of it for almost four years.  That is not easy and it takes great patience and determination.  Eventually, it all paid off.

Humans have a tendency to re-evaluate their own situation each day.  Today, work sucks.  Tomorrow it’s not so bad.  Pay day makes it all worth it, and the next Monday we want to quit.  It’s a vicious cycle for any employee.  But when you are the employer, it can be worse.  There is no guaranteed pay day.  So sometimes, even for years, it can be work, work, work, and nothing but debt & stress.  This is why most people do not go into business for themselves.

Seeing the big picture is easy in the beginning of a new business.  But once the grind gets going, you can lose sight of everything you dreamed of.  It is important in the beginning to write a sentence, paragraph, or whatever about what your dreams are down on paper.  This way, when it gets tough, you can look back to what you intended in the first place.  Sometimes it is not so easy to remember.

Any and all entrepreneurs need to understand the importance of being patient.  Starting any business is a tough racket.  Especially in an economy like todays.  You may not reach your short term goals when you planned.  There will be many obstacles along the way you could not have possibly seen ahead of time.  There will be many bills that come out of nowhere.  It is a journey unlike any other, because no one can tell you about your business except you.

Entrepreneurs are tough, determined individuals who do not know the meaning of ‘giving up’.  They only know how to adapt.  With each adaptation comes progress.  With each progression comes a test of their patience.  The successful business owners all have stories about these trying times.  They all talk about the days they did not know if it was all worth it, the days they thought of calling it quits.  The important theme of those stories is that of course it all worked out for them.

They can laugh about it now, because it is a distant memory.   God knows they were not laughing back then.  So, remember these stories when you face your trying times.  Think about who you will be laughing about it with.  Just know that any successful business person never gave up.  They had the patience, belief in themselves, and the determination to keep going.

No business makes their fortune over night.  The successful ones patiently push along, fighting through it all, till they finally reach their destination.  There is a reason the tortoise wins the race against the rabbit in that famous children’s story.  It is the same reason why many business win the race against failure.

Patience.