Recently, I have been reading books and writings about some of the biggest themes running through society, from studies on how to overcome to safe-spaces on college campuses and trigger warnings to the ways in which people have come to subconsciously and emotionally deal with things.

I have been doing this in order to better understand where society as a whole is and where it is going - and more importantly how to thrive as an entrepreneur now and in the future.

There is one thing that I see that stands out as I continue to study these different themes (some I agree with, some I don't, and some I think are downright ridiculous), is that one of the biggest solutions to many of the issues and problems we bring upon ourselves is to understand and to become anti-fragile.  And make no mistake, many of the things that are happening in society are brought upon by ourselves, our sub-conscious, and not taking time to understand each other, but just reacting emotionally in the moment.  It is not surprising as we have been conditioned to instantness and thus often react without thinking or even considering if we truly believe and understand the reaction we are having.  

This causes us to create and manifest issues in our lives (whether they truly exist or not) that compound upon themselves and for many, serve paralyze us.

We as entrepreneurs must be careful not to fall prey to this pseudo reality.  We should not shy away from challenge, conflict, stress and calculated risk, but embrace it.  And this is where Anti-fragility comes in.  Anti-fragile is, well, the opposite of fragile.  But it may not be what you think.  Fragile things when stressed or challenged break apart or are destroyed.  Being Anti-fragile means that when stressed or challenge the object gets stronger and better.  Going through the stress, challenges, conflict, navigating risk, etc. makes those that are Anti-fragile stronger, better and more able to adapt and succeed.  

Many of the studies I have read, both social and scientific, have come to the conclusion that solution to many of the issues and challenges that manifest in people's lives is to embrace them and see them through - not run away from them or invent excuses not to deal with them.  Now, this may seem like common sense, but it is not what is happening across the world.  Why do we need a safe space on a college campus when the whole point of college is to have a place showcasing dramatically different views where students can listen, learn, and choose to make up their mind as to what they truly believe?  Suppressing the ability to do this or outright banning it creates fragility, not Anti-fragility.  And fragility is not going to help people succeed and reach their true potential in life.

As an entrepreneur, we must embrace every we can to make us more Anti-fragile, to become better, stronger, so that we can lead and do the good in the world we are meant to do.  Everything and I mean everything in this world comes from entrepreneurship and I believe entrepreneurs are the answer to much of the world's problems.  And Anti-fragility is a key to entrepreneur success.

It's the beginning of a New Year full of opportunity and possibility.  What are you going to accomplish this year?

I'm sure you have a laundry list of things and hopefully, you are not like most people that give up on this list after a couple months because many of them have not been accomplished. 

I've often said that we live in an "instant society" where we stop the microwave with 3 seconds left - we cannot even wait 3 seconds anymore!  And that is the issue.  We start the year with all this excitement and list of accomplishments we want to make happen, but because they don't happen right away, many of us just give up.

One of the things I coach people on and help them to understand is this simple mantra, "We overestimate what we can accomplish in a week and underestimate what we can accomplish in a year."  You have to learn to play the long game if you want to succeed consistently over time.  This does not mean that we have wins in the short term - sometimes big wins.  But, more importantly, it is the smaller wins that add up to get to the larger goal over time.  A year in today's age seems like an eternity, but it really isn't.  It truly is amazing all that can be done in 365 days.

So, how do you make sure you don't get trapped by our "instant society?"  Simple - you choose the long view and delay gratification sacrificing the instant impulses we have been conditioned to have.  Today, you can choose the one big thing you will accomplish by the end of the year and then go to work on your little wins, week in and week out to get there, knowing you are going to do it in the course of a year.  Ask, yourself, "What will I sacrifice in the short term to get a bigger benefit in the long term?"  Answer that question for yourself and you will be on your way.

Remember, "We overestimate what we can accomplish in a week and underestimate what we accomplish in a year."  

Here's to your long game success!

Life, in all aspects, is beautiful, amazing, wonderful, exciting, and full of everlasting change.  It is also challenging, hard, prone to suffering, and comes with loss.

This past week, I lost my last surviving grandparent.  She was a wonderful woman who lived a great life and passed away peacefully in her sleep at 93.  As our family came together to grieve and celebrate her life, I started to think about the impact her loss has on our lives and how we cope and deal with it.  Of course, as I thought more about this topic, my mind wandered toward the losses we face in business and entrepreneurship.

Coping and dealing with losing and loss is not something that there is a step by step handbook for.  We learn how to deal with it in our own way through our experiences over time. 

And when it comes to entrepreneurship, one of the best things we can do to help our success is to learn to how to thrive despite losing.   In fact, as entrepreneurs, we tend to lose more than we win.

So, how to do you thrive through loss?  Personally, I have found a few things over the years that really work for me.

First, is perspective.  In order to deal with a loss, you must maintain perspective historically and in the moment.  For example, for me this week, I was obviously saddened by my grandmother's death, but at the same time, I took solace in remembering her amazing life and knowing that she left us peacefully and did not suffer.  And because I am a believer in Christ, I know that we are all just passing through this life to our real home.  She is now home and it makes me smile.  Keeping this perspective helped me and discussing it with family helped them as well.  We all know death on this earth is a part of life, but we put it aside until we have to deal with it and perspective helps us in those moments.

Second, I do my best to separate emotion from logic.  This doesn't mean I throw one or the other out - it just means I separate them and understand them and don't act impulsively in the moment.  Emotions drive our actions in life and logic can help us make sure we are acting with the right emotions.  For example, there were a number of circumstances due to Covid that made it hard on my grandmother in her final days and made it hard on her family - even keeping some members from being able to see her or severely restricting this ability.  It sucked.  It really did.  And it made me angry in the way it was handled by the center in which was living.  But, letting that anger control my actions and thus my life was not something I could do.  I had to separate the emotion and ask logically if I should be letting the anger run me during this time.  I chose not to let it impact me and got rid of it.

Lastly, find something positive to focus on.  We become what we think about and if we focus on the negative, we will get negativity in our lives.  During hard times or time of loss in life or business, we must find positive things to focus on.  In my case, I was truly inspired and filled with happiness as I looked at all the family members that are in this world because of my grandmother.  When you take into account that any one person's chances of being alive are 1 in 4 Trillion, to see all of these incredible people and all the grandchildren that are a result of one woman - it is truly breathtaking.  Her legacy will live on for many generations.  

Loss is a part of life and business.  It is how we cope and deal with it that matters most.  Think on this topic for yourself and ask how you can prepare yourself to deal and manage through loss in your life.  It will help you tremendously.

2021 is under way and if you are like me, you have been strategizing on how to make it your best year yet, no matter what gets in your way.  As I have been planning and starting the year acting on my plans, one thing that has become apparent is how important it is to be focused this year.  And when I say focused, I mean making sure that I really understand and know the things that work and drive the results needed to meet my goals, and stay focused on them.

For that, I use the 80/20 Rule.  The rule states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts or activities.  And many times, it  is more like the 90/10 or even 95/5 rule.  But, that begs the question and the one you should be asking - "What are my 20% activities?"  

The answer will give you the places you need to focus and double down on your efforts.  So, as you get going into this year, take some very serious and focused time to really analyze the actions and activities you take in your life and determine which ones make the most difference and drive the most results in reaching your goals.

Then, put those into action, double down on them.  Cut out the noise and shiny objects.  Work at them, make them better, and don't stop.  Many people think success is this flashy thing, but it's not.  It's not Hollywood or what you see on TV.  Success is really disciplined, consistent focused application of the 80/20 Rule.  It's lather, rinse, repeat.  In fact, sometimes, it can be downright boring - but who cares if you are reaching your goals and dreams that you aspire to.  It doesn't matter if it looks good or flashy - it matters if you reach the goal or not.   

​Put the 80/20 Rule to work for you and go make it happen!