Right now we’re starting to get into the beginning of the spectacle that is the American Presidency.
We’re still over a year out from the actual vote, but news coverage is picking up and the personal debates are firing up.
Something I’ve noticed, though, with successful entrepreneurs is that when debates heat up about these kinds of things they don’t really participate.
Sure, entrepreneurs have feelings about politics and other things. But they ultimately focus on what they can control. And when you really look at politics it really is out of your control. And successful people seem to realize this and focus on reacting to what’s happening so they can continue to be successful in any situation.
Complaining Doesn’t Solve Anything
Complaining is a cop out. It’s a way to convince yourself that something bad that’s happened is not your fault.
That can be true. That’s life. Bad things happen.
But as the old saying goes, it’s not what happens to you in life, but how you react.
I remember back in grade school when a kid would pick a fight and a second kid would hit back. The second kid almost always seemed to get in trouble. The teacher would say, “I don’t care if they hit you first. You decided to hit back.”
That’s a lesson we try to learn early on, but for some of us it takes longer to learn and for others it’s a lesson we never learn. We’re always worrying about the things that are out of our control including what other people.
But complaining doesn’t move you forward. It doesn’t put you on the path to success.
Successful entrepreneurs realize this and simply look for positive ways to react.
React With Positivity
I’ve mentioned that I play golf here on the blog before. There is an important lesson I’m still trying to perfect and it’s that golf isn’t a fair game.
You can hit great shots that will get bad bounces and end up in bad lies. The best example is perhaps hitting a drive right down the middle of the fairway only to have it end up in a divot.
That’s golf.
And that’s life.
You can’t control everything that happens whether it’s politics, competition, bad reviews…whatever.
The best thing you can do to be a successful entrepreneur is to react with positivity.
There are stories about the golfer Tom Watson and how he would react to bad breaks on the course. He would walk up to lies like a lie in a divot and would get a smile on his face. He would look back at his caddie and say things like, “Watch how impressive this recovery shot will be.”
Tom actually loved getting bad breaks just so he could show off on the next one. It was a challenge to him.
Successful entrepreneurs do the same thing. When something bad happens they look at is as a challenge. They look at it as an opportunity. They know that not everyone has that kind of resilience to move past bad breaks. That means that those who do will be successful while the others flounder.
Final Thought
The best entrepreneurs I’ve observed are not complainers. They know that complaining is for the weak.
In life, we all deal with issues worth complaining over. Perhaps some more than others, but that’s the way it goes. You might get lucky and get fewer bad breaks in life or you might get what seems like more bad breaks than others.
But if you let it get to you you’ll never find the success that you could if you reacted at bad breaks as opportunities. Even if your favorite choice for president doesn’t win it’ll be alright. You can’t change it.
It’s best to figure out your next move. Figure out the opportunity and take advantage.