I knew the day was coming and I prepared as best as I could for it, but I still had work through it.  I'm talking about my final days in one of my longest held businesses.  Last year, my business partner and I sold the business.  For many years, we kind of operated like co-CEO's, a yin and yang of sorts.  But, once the business was bought, I knew that the new owners would only need one of us and my business partner was the founder.  We had planned for me to exit at some point over the year following the sale or move to another role and after a lot of discussion and a some soul searching, it was the right move for me to focus on my other ventures, like the Misfit Entrepreneur Podcast and my investing education business,
12 Minute Trading. 

Of course, I did well on the sale of the business and the new owners took great care of us, but leaving after 15+ years is still hard.  Change always is.  I love the people there and will continue to keep the great relationships I've had for many years - but it's time to move on.  

I've gone through a lot of changes over the years and while this one was more of a planned change, I still have to navigate it and get used to not "being so busy."  It's weird for me not to have all the meetings and appointments I'd typically have on my calendar each week.  Here is what I've learned about change over the years.

Change = Opportunity 

Every big change I've had in my life has resulted in tremendous opportunity - whether it was leaving a well-paid job years ago to take a chance on a little tech company with barely a salary or to start and commit to a weekly podcast, or selling a business.  Every time, I found great opportunity in those changes.  But, here is the thing - you have to make it happen.  Opportunities are all around us and when you open your eyes for them, you will see them.  But, most importantly, you have to action them and see them through.  It took a lot of hard work, long nights and weekends - and finding the right people along the way, to build our company and get it into a position where it was high value for sale.   Find the opportunity and then go at it with everything you've got.

Don't Dwell on It

Change it inevitable.  Many times it comes for good reasons, but sometimes if happens for bad.  Don't dwell on it.  Like one of our Misfit Entrepreneurs, Harma Hartouni says, "5 Minute Funeral."  Give it your 5 mins of emotion and then move on.  In the end, you can only focus on what you can control and to let a change - especially a negative one - affect you, does no good.  Instead pour all that energy and focus into the next chapter for yourself or your business.

Things Happen for a Reason 

I truly believe things happen for a reason.  This has been proven to me over many years.  Each time change happens, it leads to something bigger and better.  You may not know what it is immediately, but you will find it.  For example, I now have more time to focus on the Misfit Entrepreneur and my investing, which are absolute passions for me.  That time will help me to be more available to my students at 12 Minute Trading, give me more time in my own investing, and allow me to better grow the Misfit Entrepreneur so more people around the world can benefit from our message.  I'm pretty excited about it.  

Planning is Critical

As you navigate change, you will need to plan for what comes next.  Whatever it is, sit down and go through everything in your mind.  Get it out of your head and on paper.  Then organize it and determine what you need to do and plan for it.  You have heard before that if your fail to plan, you plan to fail.  Planning will help you take inventory, find clarity and determine your direction.  It won't be perfect.  No plan ever is,  but it will help you tremendously.  

Your Attitude Makes All the Difference

Lastly, as you navigate change, your attitude is very important.  If it is poor, it will shut your mind down and you will miss the new opportunities in front of you.  If you keep a healthy attitude and perspective, it will help you succeed.  And by healthy, I mean not just a positive one, but a logical, realistic one.   No matter what, you will have to do the work needed to maximize the opportunity in change, so you must have a positive, but sober attitude of what you need to do.  And the best part is that, every day, you get to choose your attitude.  So, choose a great one and then go out and make things happen for yourself!

Every year brings new opportunities to entrepreneurs and individuals.   And each year, people start out full of hope with goals or aspirations in their minds - but usually by the end of the first couple months of the year, most have given up on things.  There is an important reason for this and one that is most important to understand as you approach 2022 so as not to fall into the trap.

The reason most abandon their goals or aspirations is because they have been conditioned to instant gratification.  When something doesn't materialize after a little effort, it gets abandoned and people move on.  They give up way to easily and way to early.  But, that is the lesson.  

Remember this, "People overestimate what they can do in a week, but underestimate what they can do in a year." 

​So, as you go into 2022, the best advice I can give you is to play the long game and realize that all truly great things you accomplish take vigorous, hard work and sacrifice.  Set your goals and aspirations high and then do what has to be done, for as long as it has to be done, to get them.  Don't stop.  Don't quit when you have setbacks.  Don't give in to instant gratification.   You will be amazed at what you can accomplish in a year.  You can change your whole life, you may even be able to change the world or some aspect of it.  

The other day, I was looking at some personal growth assets to add to my arsenal going into 2022 and I cam across this 10 minute video that has been viewed almost 8 million times.  The messages in it are incredible - and what it teaches you may just change your life.  I suggest watching it 1x per month.

Good things come to those who wait.  But, who has time to wait anymore?  I say that as a joke, but it's true right?  More and more, it seems that we have very little to no patience.  We have been conditioned to expect instant results and most of the time we get them.  So, I can't blame people for having little patience these days.

With that said, patience is a lost art in today's world - but those that come back to it an practice it reap great benefits.  For example, I recently wrote an article about questioning a business growth strategy that had worked for a long time, but had recently faltered.  The article was about how the strategy had worked for years and had issues over the course of about 6 weeks or so and I found myself wondering if I should abandon it.  After some diligence and stepping back, I realized that the market for the strategy had acted out of character and now it has come back in line.  I had the patience to stay with the strategy and now it is beginning to pay off again. 

I literally was worried about a 6-week blip out of many years of success!  But that is what we have been conditioned to do.  If something doesn't work, many times right away, we abandon it.  We can't wait for a browser to load slowly for the for the microwave to finish.  But, if we can have patience and perspective and are willing to play the long game, we will be much more successful.  I've seen this time and time again with guests on the Misfit Entrepreneur - those that play the long game win.  In fact, many times they didn't have the best business or solution, they just outlasted everyone else to become the one on top.  

Keep this lesson in mind next time you find yourself losing patience - especially with something proven to be successful.  Give it the patience and time it's due and commit to playing the long game and it will pay off for you!