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“I really have to apologise” said my brother…

“I really have to apologise” said my brother…

Introduction

Mindset

“I really have to apologise” said my brother…

I got a call from my brother Michael last week that began with the words “I really have to apologise”.

He'd just been digging around in our parents' loft and had found an old school essay book of his from when he was 13 and was rather embarrassed about the contents.

Essay number one was about him. Number two was about me…

“His hobbies include being lazy, being even lazier, sitting around doing nothing, sitting around watching the television…”

“Ian hates any strenuous work and has an allergy to hard work, homework, and any other work you could care to think of”.

Turns out there's not much difference between 16-year old me and 49-year old me then :)

Michael's apology wasn't necessary. He wasn't far from the truth.


And, frankly, it amazes me when I read the exploits of people we're supposed to see as role models these days. It's like there's a cult of overwork in the Entrepreneurial world.

Every day I see Facebook posts from people telling me how they've got up at 4am or 5am and how they've been “hustling” and “crushing it” before the rest of the world got up.

You see so-called inspirational memes with quotes about how sacrificing your life to make it big is what entrepreneurs are all about.

Not me.

I may not quite be as lazy as Michael made out 33 years ago. But I absolutely don't believe you need to work like a madman to succeed in business.

Sure, there will always be temporary blips where you need to work super hard.

But what is being an entrepreneur for if it's not to enjoy life on your terms?

I gave up the big salary and jet-setting lifestyle so I could spend more time with my family and enjoy life more. I'm not going to sacrifice that so I can make macho posts on Facebook about how hard I'm working.

As I've shown in my last two marketing videos, if you're smart about it you can fit your marketing into a day a week. In some ways it forces you to be better at marketing too: you can't rely on brute force and ignorance to make an impact.

So if, like me, you look at these folks talking about their hustle and how hard they work and all the sacrifices they make and wonder what planet they're on sometimes, just realise that you're not alone :)

“Hustle” isn't the only way. Slow, steady and relaxed works too. And you'll have more of a smile on your face at the end of it!

    Ian Brodie

    Ian Brodie

    https://www.ianbrodie.com

    Ian Brodie is the best-selling author of Email Persuasion and the creator of Unsnooze Your Inbox - *the* guide to crafting engaging emails and newsletters that captivate your audience, build authority and generate more sales.

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