💡Wait - Ep #18
Over the last year of all-in Tokyo/Chicago Entrepreneurship...
...one of the hardest and most counterintuitive lessons I've learned is Patience... particularly the value of "active waiting."
But first, here's an example of "passive waiting" that didn't go my way.
After 12 relocations in 1 year to get to Japan on behalf of JNJ, I received devastating news...
... my global assignment was being cut short.
We had just had our fourth child in country and genuinely loved our life in Japan.
So the thought of a return path to the US was absolutely unfathomable.
I remember dropping my girls off at their international school as the cherry blossoms came into full bloom.
The blossoms were both beautiful and heart breaking.
So I put a misplaced hope in them.
Everyday as I dropped my girls off at school, I hoped and prayed that my situation would yield a positive outcome by the time the cherry blossoms fell.
For four weeks I "passively waited" for the situation to fix its self...
...
...
...
And after four weeks the blossoms fell... and JNJ didn't magically reverse their decision.
I learned that life will run you over if you don't learn how To Bet On Your Self and get activated during the waiting...
Today's "Sunday Sip" is inspired by Evan... a Notion Wizard, Father and [Pro] Brain.
In response to the question "Why are you here?" that I posted in The Big Brain Club, he replied...
- "Most days the only brain I come in contact with is inside the head of a 4 year old. I'm here for higher order thinking, validation, accountability, networking, friendship, inspiration, and collaboration."
Evan is truly a remarkable entrepreneur, and its been a joy building a friendship with him as he navigates a season of "active waiting".
In some sense, he's waiting for the moment when he can be all-in on his own ventures building "Waygami" but he's still in the messy middle of scaling Notion solutions for others by doing "freelance work".
I'm excited to partner with him to explore how we can focus some of his moonlight efforts to accelerate his brand "Waygami" while freelancing pays the bills.
I love Hormozi's definition of patience, which is "figuring out what to do in the meantime."
This "active waiting" is so critical to success in our entrepreneurial ventures.
So let's rewind to Cherry Blossom Joe...
As the blossoms fell and nothing changed, I realized that I needed to get busy during the gap.
I was in the middle of parental leave which meant I had a 3 month "wait" before JNJ packed out our house and shipped us off to New Jersey... a foreign land.
So I networked my ass off within JNJ, crafted my first Virtual Portfolio, and started having conversations with Directors, VPs, and CGCs (Company Group Chairman) to improve our odds of staying in the region.
I applied to 30+ roles in JNJ, navigated a series of interviews for a Director of Business Development APAC role based in Japan to buy time...
... and after all of this
...didn't get the Job
But I found the confidence to Say Goodbye, writing my Resignation Letter from JNJ and taking an insane shot at continuing life in Japan through entrepreneurship.
The clock continues to tick in our lives...
... every second
... every minute
... every hour
... every day
If we choose to "passively wait" we give our future away to whatever circumstance and the clock hand us next.
But I believe this "active waiting" is how we can legitimately build the lives we desire... living where we want, loving what we do, and being paid well for it.
Building a remarkable life, takes remarkable intention and action amidst the waiting.
Let's fast forward to present Joe... one year later.
I'm in a deeper season of "active waiting".
From a business perspective things are tracking exceptionally well:
- 130+ members of The Big Brain Club [Lite] with new Big Brains coming from Word of Mouth Referrals and Discovery every day
- 5+ members of The Big Brain Club [Pro] at $500 MRR with Zero Churn
- Folks are getting real value out of both communities and bringing friends
- Just pitched a $100k quote for 3 months worth of work B2B with a high probability of success based on working the lead for 3+ years.
Yet from a life perspective our family feels stuck "waiting"
- 7 months of living out of boxes in a 4 generation household in Chicago (4 kids, my wife, my father in-law, and my grandparents in law)
- Financially hamstringed based on two maxed credit cards and a 75k personal loan we pulled when we exited JNJ
- Zeroed out a decade worth of my 401 to cover living expense over the last 7 months
- Tired of feeding my kids Ramen and I miss shopping at Costco
The reality is, active waiting hurts and its hard.
We don't see the downstream fruit immediately after we're sweaty and tired from working the soil today.
It takes time while fixating on the right inputs.
For me that means:
- Out Looming the entire platform of Skool (2500+ asynchronous videos in the last 2 months alone)
- Providing massive value to [Pro] members and trusting the business to flourish through word of mouth referrals
- Focus on Building Culture within The Big Brain Club [Lite] and providing folks with a "Find Your Next" framework that naturally ascends them to paid
- Not pursuing short term money grabs, hard closes, or any communication methodologies that cheapen the culture of the Club
But Sunday Sips isn't about me... it's about you!
What season of waiting are you currently wrestling with that's blocking you from Finding Your Next?
And more importantly how will you choose to "actively wait" to position yourself one step closer to building the life you desire?
Let me know in the "Sunday Sip" post in Skool!
Benediction:
So may you feel a greater sense of power, validation and inspiration as you "actively wait" for what comes next.
You're not a slave to the clock...
If you make Time work for you...
And as always friend...
Keep Changing the World!
