"Do you want life to run you, or do you to run your life?" - Bobby Umar
4 - You are such a high achiever in your life. How do you manage and accelerate in your life, and market your brand so well?
On success
It is all relative perspective. I have done things in my life that I am proud of, but some people don’t think it is an achievement. A big executive in a big marketing company makes $300,000 to $400,000 per year. He is handling multi-million dollar accounts, and my parents would say he is more accomplished than I am. Because he makes more money than I am. The big executive may think that too. But it is just relative and it is just perspective. I define success by the happiness I create. The happiness I create as a dad, as a friend, as a coach, and in my business. When I define my happiness by what’s meaningful, I am super successful.
We will all feel like a success in some ways, and feel like a failure some other ways. For example, at the age of 26, I used to have a theater company, and it went really amazing. The show went great, but we only sold 40% of the tickets. So there’s a whole analysis that goes within my head. For DYPB, we had a conference that went great, lots of people loved it, but then one person complained, so I felt it didn’t go that great. And that is the entrepreneurship lifestyle. Again, embrace uncertainty, embrace failure, so we can just say it is just relative in perspective. It is about constantly evolving yourself, meeting people, creating content, improving your brand, aligning your values. And keep monitoring, because you are constantly evolving as a person. The way you are as a person in your 20s, in your 30s, and in your 40s are different, so you need to make sure you align. So that is the way feel the successful path for me.
In terms of how to achieve it.
I am always an advocate for networking. I always tell young people to align your path with more people, content and leadership development around what you care about and what you want to say. You should always build a larger network, work on your communication skills and improve yourself. Remember that today’s economy is a knowledge economy.
5 - As entrepreneurs, we will often meet different types of entrepreneurs. So you will see some entrepreneurs that will try to take illegitimate shortcuts. What is your position on that?
Well, I think your brand is what you set yourself to do. So if you want to go on that path, then you will face certain consequences. It might work, but it may blow up in your face. If you are choosing a path less ethical, you have to be responsible for that choice. But I am not saying you should do it, but some people that do it, get away from it. In my whole path of being authentic, I met a lot of inauthentic people. Actually some people with a lot of brand authenticity, and you get surprised that it is such a façade. I am very real in terms of the way I am, and being who I am. Why? Because it is exhausting to be somebody else.