I wanted to cry as I watched the old man dig through his change, trying to get enough quarters, dimes and nickels together to make his purchase. He was dressed rather well for someone that did not seem to have enough money for what he was trying to buy.
I travel to many places around the country and sometimes the convenience stores I visit are in parts of town where you get to see some of those who are hurting. Some places you see them walk into a store and you can tell they are in really hard times; other times you question.
On this particular night I was staying in a big city and this store was not the cleanest spot, but it was close to my hotel so I walked over to get a drink before bed. I was in shock that the man reaching for all that change, was not buying milk, not buying cigarettes, or alcohol. He was buying a scratch off lottery ticket. I figured he must be down on his luck and willing to try anything.
After walking outside, I noticed him scratching off the ticket on the hood of a Cadillac, a few years old. Still, it was a rather nice car.
Something inside of me wanted to talk with him. I started a conversation; we talked kids, family, cars, houses, boats and motorcycles. He seemed like a man who was doing OK by my standards. He made a statement that made me think about the lottery ticket again. It was “just hoping to someday hit the lottery, then I can retire.”
As he drove off and I walked back to my hotel, I was reminded of a saying my friend, Monica Cornetti, uses in her training: “Luck is not a strategy.” I am not saying this to judge this man; he had a rather nice car, a nice job, and a family. But I wonder how many people are building a retirement, or plans for their future that are built on luck. They hope that something will happen that will change the world for them. They have the tools it takes to change, but still wait on luck to make it happen.
So many entrepreneurs work so hard to make their business work. They spend 10 and 12 hours a day on their work. The one word you never hear them use is “LUCKY.” It’s actually people working jobs who never take a risk on a side business that could change their lives who are usually the ones using the word “lucky.”
I’ve heard many successful people make the comment “the harder I work the luckier I get.” To succeed as an entrepreneur you must be working and looking for the opportunities to take you to success.
So what is your plan? There are three things your plan needs that will make you successful:
- Realistic. Waiting for the lottery will not work.
- Consistent. You will have to do something over and over to become good at it.
- Think long term. Short term plans are great to get you out of a pinch, but success in the long run takes long term planning. Start thinking 2 years, 5 years down the line. Watch how soon those years come.
Here is your call to action:
Realistically, what are your achievable goals this year?
What daily habits are you going to develop to make those goals happen this year?
Where do you really see yourself in 5 years?
What are you doing today to make that happen?
I’m Tim Gillette the Rocker Life Coach. It’s time to live your dream, to love what you do and those you share life with. Are you ready to make things happen so 2013 will rock?
