Fortunately, and maybe out of a stroke of some fine luck, I chanced upon two great videos in YouTube that have really given me a surreal idealism again about entrepreneurship, making your own business, and living your dreams in life. These are about two people - Ryan Blair and Gurbaksh Chahal - two great entrepreneurs of our time having distinctively different stories of success, but both incredible men with such great stories and lessons to share.
Hearing stories of people coming from rags to riches, or from bad to great really has that appeal to me because, I think it appeals to the very nature of life - that no matter where you came from, or what you've started out as - it won't need to be the definition that you make for the rest of your stay on earth. Ryan's tale of how he came from being a thug in the ghetto to becoming a successful entrepreneur, author and investor is awe-inspiring. The fact is that life will always get to you no matter where you are, and what you've already overcome in the past, it will throw you bigger challenges and would constantly try to beat you down.
Even after overcoming the hood, with his mother going through a very long period of coma, and his son being diagnosed with autism in the middle of the most monumental success he was attaining, he stepped up to show how the battles are fought even by those that are already successful and have seemingly overcome worse. Ryan's animosity, tenacity and persistence not only allowed him to stand his ground, but it allowed his greatness to come out from the dire situation as it is. This is an important reminder for me - I should stay hungry and strong enough to battle out complacency; and that, I try my very best of not being derailed and unfocused. After all, I have nothing to lose but everything to gain when I just keep going at it. Not stopping, always striving to be the very best that I can be.
Gurbaksh Chahal, on the otherhand, is a serial eentrepreneur who came into business as early as 16 years old. He founded a number of startups and have sold a couple for hundreds of millions. What I like about him in is how mature and real he gives his perspective of business and entrepreneurship. In essence, he says that in order to succeed in life you simply have to had the ambition, discipline, and purpose. But not as easy as how we know to define those three ingredients, does come the real grind behind running a business, or a start-up for that matter.
Like he said, there are many misconceptions in business. One is, for instance, that you have to be first or the original. Or, that you be perfect and narrowed down to a single path or outcome. Instead, entrepreneurs must come to terms with the fact that innovation is key, not originality, that pushing forward to a goal and having the audacity to embrace change in the process is crucial, and that, starting a business from the idea of selling it off later should not be more important than pursuing a business for the passion of fulfilling a need and creating real, tangible value.
I've taken in a lot lessons from these two men today. But I think the most important thing I can take away is that I have been given the same opportunity and freedom, if not more, to create my own story. I'm am no less talented or disadvantaged compared to them. But only, I am a little less as determined as they are. And that should not keep me from trying. All it really takes is to keep on fighting the fight to better what I've become so far and to keep the persistent attitude and go on and on and on. No matter what.
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