Sitting in a room with all my friends, I realize that I am so much different than they are…
MY FRIENDS…the people I chose that I am going to probably be around for the rest of my life.
How is it that their views on life and business can be so different than my own?
None of them can see an opportunity when it hits them in the face, not one of them would “throw away that much money” to hire a coach, and none of them are willing to take a small risk in stocks to make a great gain, let alone risk everything you have to start a business.
It is futile for me to even talk or argue with them about business because they have been taught and raised with the idea that you go to school, get good grades, get an education, and get a good job.
Nothing I say now can change their mind, no matter how hard I try to tell them they could have financial freedom, help their families, do whatever they want, accomplish their dreams and live life on their own terms instead of having to listen to some person tell you what to do for the rest of your life.
Every time I try to tell my friends (my closest and best friends), maybe change their views, and bring them over to freedom, they take it as me saying I am better than them, or that they won’t be successful, and even take it as me talking down to them. Frankly I hate it, so I have stopped telling these friends about how they could live life on their own terms, and will let my “craziness” speak for itself.
Without saying, obviously there are big risks you have to take to do this, but the reward is well worth it. And of course every now and then you have a set back or two, but as long as you stay focused and determined and make the best moves you can, you’ll bounce back two-fold.
There are so many different ways to be successful in life, but for me being successful means that I accomplished the one task that I set out to do, everything else I get or do that comes along with the success is lagniappe.
So what is that one goal that I have?
Well, funny enough, it’s not just me that has this goal; I share a common goal with my brother. If you’ve read some other articles of mine, you will notice I talk about my brother a lot, and that is because our mindset is so much alike, sometimes its scary; we sound the same, we sometimes use the same patterns of speech, and we will even know what the other is thinking or going to do, but I guess that’s developed with the bond you have spending 18 years with the same person. His views and goals mirror mine (or vise versa), but even then we still have different personal goals we want to attain.
A while back, a little bit after my brother and I were both out of high school, lets say three years ago, my brother and I were talking about business (as we often do) and how we wanted to both have our own companies so that way we could do what we wanted, and truly live with out having to worry about anything. In short, we both wanted to be millionaires (who doesn’t right!? maybe even billionaire, why not!?). But this isn’t the point…
We started talking about why we wanted to have the businesses and why making that much money is important to us, and my brother surprised me with his response, being that it was the same as what I was going to say.
Our grandparents and parents worked very hard their entire lives, at some pretty menial jobs, to get our family to the level we are at today. They did everything they could to give us what they couldn’t have and to provide for us, even if it meant they had to go without. As children, we took all of this for granted, we were spoiled and didn’t really understand. But as adults, he and I both understand and appreciate everything our parents and grandparents have done for our entire family.
So we vowed to each other we would get our family to that next level, and we agreed that we would do whatever it takes, no matter what, so that they no longer have to worry about money and can enjoy the rest of their lives.
Most of all, no matter what, we will never give up.
Our goal is to hit the million dollar mark by the time we turn 30, if not sooner. Not because we feel like that is enough money to set our family up for life, but just because it is a benchmark that will tell us if are reaching our goal or if we need to re-think things. Of course there are other things we want to do as well, such as: cancer research-since it has had such an impact on our family, wildlife and coral reef conservation-because we both love the outdoors and love to dive, along with many more things I won’t bore you by mentioning.
These are all attainable goals though, and I feel that my brother and myself could make a huge impact. But I was told by a friend that this agreement was “pretty arbitrary” and that I should just focus on getting my degree and getting a good, high-paying job that would provide for my family, because that is what’s more realistic. She then proceeded to tell me that it couldn’t happen anyway because my heart is in it for the wrong reasons.
Like I said earlier, my friends don’t think like you or I, so when they say things like this, we may have a little heated argument (especially with the arbitrary comment), but we stay friends.
As far as what the right reasons were, she couldn’t tell me, but if this isn’t a reason to accomplish any goal, then this isn’t the world I want to live in.
As far as how this plays out, and if we do reach those goals, I guess you’ll find out in about 8 years. Don’t be afraid to make those goals, take those risks, and make that leap of faith. If you are determined, you will make it; if you half-ass it, you will most definitely fail. Trust me, it’s worth it, and no matter what, never give up!
Brandon Jolicoeur is a young business professional from the New Orleans area. You can follow him on Twitter @bpjoli. As a native of New Orleans, he prides himself on being a food connoisseur of sorts and a travel and adrenaline junkie always staying true to his family’s motto, “Be Adventurous, Live Life!”
Image creditL CC by Behzad No
