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I did not scale my profession by saying no. Not in actual property. Not in enterprise capital. Not in life.
Typically the very best factor you can do is say yes.
Even when it is messy.
Even when it is unclear.
Even when it is exterior your consolation zone.
That is how I’ve all the time operated, and I am nonetheless simply getting began.
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I’ve stated sure to issues that made zero sense on paper
what a number of the finest alternatives appear to be at first?
Work. Chaos. A bet.
I did not construct one of many largest independently owned brokerages in Texas by enjoying it protected. I constructed it by saying sure when it felt too early, too bizarre, too unknown.
There wasn’t an ideal roadmap.
There was simply intuition.
And an entire lot of hustle.
Folks need the complete itinerary earlier than they take step one.
What does hill #3 appear to be? The place are the bogs? When’s lunch?
Readability would not come from standing still. It comes from transferring ahead.
You’ll be able to’t outsource intestine intuition
Each pitch deck seems polished. Each founder sounds passionate. Each alternative feels shiny within the second. So, how do I determine what to say sure to?
I wager on individuals.
After all, I take a look at the numbers. The market. The chance. But when somebody’s obtained coronary heart, grit, imaginative and prescient, and values, then it is normally a great signal.
I’ve backed first-time founders.
I’ve backed celebrities.
I’ve backed individuals with zero connections however huge drive.
It is not about whether or not it is their first swing or their hundredth.
It is about whether or not they’re stepping up with the bat superglued to their fingers.
We do not love Babe Ruth as a result of he by no means struck out.
We love him as a result of he saved swinging.
Associated: How Saying ‘Yes’ to Every Opportunity Helped My Startup Make $1 Million in the First Year
Most individuals are scared to say sure
Saying sure means taking a danger. It means committing to something you might fail at — even publicly. It means opening the door to one thing new… that may not work.
However this is what I’ve discovered after twenty years in enterprise:
The larger danger is ready. Ready for the proper timing. Ready for a assured return. Ready till you are “prepared.”
That is not a technique. That is worry.
You’ll be able to’t microwave actual progress.
You have to be within the kitchen.
Rolling dough. Dropping it. Cleansing up the mess. Beginning once more.
Saying sure builds the muscle you want later
This is one thing I’ve seen throughout the board:
Most profitable individuals had been yes-men and yes-women at their first jobs.
Labored the ground? Sure.
Answered the telephones? Sure.
Stayed late? On daily basis.
It is not about being a pushover.
It is about exhibiting up with no ego. No entitlement.
That type of posture would not simply open doorways.
It builds the muscle reminiscence to succeed when it is your identify on the door.
Learn Extra: How Saying ‘Yes’ to Everything Can Stall Your Growth
Saying sure doesn’t suggest saying sure to the whole lot
Let me be clear. Saying sure with goal doesn’t suggest saying sure to distractions. It means asking higher questions earlier than you commit.
Ask your self:
- Can I develop from this?
- Can I help someone else grow?
- Does this align with the life I am constructing?
If it is a sure, transfer. Knowledge is useful, however intuition is your edge.
Individuals who say sure construct higher networks
This one will get ignored. You do not construct a killer community by ready round.
You construct it by saying sure to the 8 a.m. espresso. Sure to the LinkedIn intro. Sure to the occasion you were not certain about — however confirmed up anyway.
Curiosity is underrated.
You are allowed to say sure simply since you wish to be taught one thing. You are allowed to say sure simply to attach with somebody. A few of my finest investments begin with a espresso and no agenda.
I stay for that.
That is why I began Espresso with Closers and Lunch with Legends.
To squeeze the juice out of each sure.
Make it depend.
Flip the second into momentum.
The world opens as much as individuals who say sure
Each room I’ve stepped into got here from saying sure to the final one.
Each leap I’ve taken opened doorways I could not see till I jumped.
Saying sure is about believing one thing higher is feasible — even when it isn’t assured.
Even when no one else will get it.
Even when it scares you.
I would nonetheless be sitting on the sidelines if I waited for the proper second.
As an alternative, I am within the recreation.
Constructing. Betting. Believing.
You do not want each reply.
You want the center to say sure to the following proper factor.
Say sure earlier than you are prepared.
Say sure when it scares you.
Say sure when your intestine says go, even when the world says wait.
Particularly if you happen to’re younger, say sure to alternatives and construct your personal.
That is the place progress begins. That is the place momentum lives.
We do not love Babe Ruth due to his excellent report.
We love him as a result of he confirmed up. Swung arduous. Saved swinging.
Be extra like Babe.
Change the sport by saying sure and stepping as much as the plate.
You may see a return in your “sure” funding.
I did not scale my profession by saying no. Not in actual property. Not in enterprise capital. Not in life.
Typically the very best factor you can do is say yes.
Even when it is messy.
Even when it is unclear.
Even when it is exterior your consolation zone.
That is how I’ve all the time operated, and I am nonetheless simply getting began.
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