True & False Regrets

Mel,   Ever heard the old proverb? “Nobody on their death bed ever said, I wish I’d spent more time in the office.”   It’s guilt-inducement for people who “work too hard.” Often by people who don’t work hard enough.   So you’ll go to more soccer games and stuff like that.   My dad died when I was 17. It was cancer, so there was plenty of time for frank conversations and reflection and all that.   What did HE regret?   Not saving up money so his kids could go to college. He was REALLY bugged that he hadn’t done that, and now at age 44 knew he couldn’t solve it.   Him not fixing that problem didn’t score “dad’s a failure” in MY book. It wasn’t that big of a deal to me. I did get through college OK, and in fact I’m making my kids pay for most of their college. (My 19 year old is taking school a LOT more seriously cuz she’s paying more than half the freight.)   But the point is, dads (and moms) have a lot more heartache about not being able to provide special experiences for their families, than missing soccer games.   A year ago we went to China and adopted ZJ. Costly trip, taking the whole family halfway ‘round the world and then bringing an extra kid back.   Big family. Three weeks. Two hotel rooms. It took time at the office to buy the plane tix and dinners and pay the Chinese officials. It also took a certain degree of excellence and expertise.   I have ZERO regrets about that. It’s a permanent memory, a shared experience etched in stone. I bet they’ll have pics of that trip flashing across the video screen at my wake.   So if guilt is making you ambivalent about being EXCELLENT at what you do - and getting paid WELL - so you can do things other people don’t get to do - (come on, admit it - that’s the reward) then it’s time to jettison that shag bag of guilt. And get on with the real job of earning some dinero.   When the charity is 12% short of their goal and they can’t do the project, who do they go to?   The entrepreneurs who earned some dinero. That’s who.   Solomon said, “Do you see a man skilled at his work? He will not stand before obscure men. He will stand before kings.”   The privilege of being an entrepreneur is, there’s no upper limit. If you want money and time freedom, there ain’t many other options. Which means you can’t be even slightly ambivalent about delivering the goods and paying the price to succeed.   What does it take to be excellent?   Don’t come back from your next coffee break until you’ve made up your mind.   Perry Marshall             ***NOTE: This email address isn't monitored! If you need help, please email:   support@perrymarshall.com     Free Video We manage our emails with Infusion. This Guide and Video explain my secret marketing sauce. If you no longer wish to receive our emails, click the link below: Opt-Out of Email Communications   Perry S. Marshall & Assoc 159 N. Marion Street #295 Oak Park, Illinois 60301 United States (312) 386-7459   Having trouble viewing this email? Click here