The Entrepreneurs Leadership Headache
One thing we all have might be ruining your life without you knowing it. What I’m about to teach you turned my old-self (on the left) into my successful-self (on the right).
I had a phase in 5th grade, where I was getting into trouble. Like most boys, I got in my share of fights, and I was proud of them…
Growing up, I wanted to be the next WWE wrestling superstar, but I made bad decisions. That meant my family always had their hands full, keeping me out of trouble.
I used to feel so frustrated because we didn’t have a lot of money, so I took it out on some kids I thought had more than I did.
We lived in a beautiful home in a wealthy neighborhood because a church member let us rent her house for next to nothing. Still, we were poor, living among many rich people.
So, I got made fun of for my clothing, lunches, hair, shoes, mom’s car, and house.
On top of that pressure, we ended up getting evicted from the house, all of my friends at school found out, and none of them would speak to me anymore. I wanted to be invisible so they couldn’t see me.
But, shortly after, I had a thought that changed the course of my life…
I watched my childhood (trouble-making) friend get taken to a youth prison program called “scared straight,” and everything changed for me. He had to come face to face with inmates as they gave these kids some tough love.
I realized that fighting and getting into trouble as a kid meant getting grounded or getting something taken away. However, doing this as an adult could mean getting wrapped up in the court system, parole, or even prison.
I recognized that when I made poor decisions, I was unable to control my emotions. My ego was in control when my feelings weren’t.
So, I chose to work on my emotions so that I could get control over my ego.
However, I still had a harsh truth to face…
Controlling my ego meant admitting that I make mistakes; what happens to me is not everyone and everything else’s fault.
Want to know how I overcame it?
Instead of saying, “I’m sorry, but it was X’s fault,” I started saying, “I take full responsibility.” I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was becoming a leader who took responsibility for my ego.
It felt like somebody lifted a weight from my shoulders because I saw that my poor behavior always came when my ego was in control.
When I controlled it by being responsible for myself, the ego lost its power to use my emotions against me.
What I was ultimately able to do was make better decisions, which lead to better life outcomes. Those better outcomes over time created this incredible life that my family and I have.
I was able to lead my life out of a place of emotional outbursts where my ego controlled my actions and replace it with a state of calm, centered strength.
In the end, taming my ego has meant being a role model for others, the ideal person that I want my children to emulate.
Your big takeaway from this story is that our ego’s make bad decisions. You know the ego is trying to control you when you feel the childish urge to get back at someone to make yourself feel better. Those decisions are the ones that will destroy your success and put your life at risk.
If you’re feeling emotional, wait at least three days before making any decisions. It’s hard to stay emotional for three days.
In previous blogs, I’ve also talked about the HALT test I learned from Gary Halbert. NEVER make a decision if you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.
Your next step is to get my FREE 5-step program, “Lead Your Life.” Use this simple program to learn how to become a world-class leader who people want to follow.
Lead Your Life will increase your time freedom, show you how to start growing your business (without needing to be there) and teach you to become a high-status leader that gets results.
