A tale of two brothers
I want to tell you a story about two brothers. Each brother was given $1,000. It’s all the money they have in the world. They both, in their own way, are thrilled by their good fortune.
But the way in which they have chosen to respond to their good fortune is quite different.
The first brother takes his windfall of $1,000 and invests it. He keeps his head down, focusing on what he can accomplish long-term now that he has this seed money to put toward a brighter future. He invests it so wisely that very soon he has earned an additional $350. He now has $1,350!
The second brother, reeling from his riches, immediately goes on a vacation. He makes certain to post as many pictures as possible to his social media, highlighting his escapades and spending $650 in the process. He now is left with $350.
Now, in terms of appearances, most people connected to these brothers believe that the second brother has struck it rich. He’s living the life that they all dream of. After all, if you look at his Instagram, his lifestyle is far more lavish, exciting, and desirable than the first brother’s, who, in terms of appearances, is wearing the same clothes, eating the same food, and living the same life he always has.
One brother looks like he is winning. The other brother is quietly creating a path to victory.
Now, ask yourself, “Which brother would you rather be?”
Which brother are you?
Keeping up with the Joneses has always been a distraction for people, and social media has only made that harder. Picture after picture, reel after reel, you see people — some you know and some you wish you did — who are buying things, going places, and having experiences you only wish you could.
Here’s an important thing you need to remember: Social media is just a highlight reel. It’s designed to speak to your desires. But if you’re so distracted by it that your only solution is to follow the path of immediate gratification, then you’re not investing in your long-term, sustainable success.
Many of the people who you see on social media have already put in the hours to get them where they are today. Putting “the grind” on your timeline isn’t sexy. The results are what get likes and faves.
Be brother number one, if you want to achieve massive success
My journey as a business owner has always consisted of investing as much as I possibly could back into the business, so that I could grow it and scale it by leveraging great, talented people; proven, efficient processes; and a solid technology infrastructure.
Only after we reached our goals and put ourselves on a path to achieving even bigger goals did we celebrate, and then we quickly got back to work. Otherwise, you get lazy. That’s what I’ve done in my prior businesses, and that’s precisely what I’m doing with Cardone Ventures.
That’s why I’ve always been focused on being the first brother, the one who takes that $1000 and invests it in the things that can 10X my growth.
Always think about where your choices are taking you
Every choice we make in life and in business has an impact on our tomorrow. It’s tempting to look at your revenue, take a slice of that razor-thin profit margin and spend it in whatever way you want to on yourself. You earned it, right?
Not so fast. That’s short-term thinking. And short-term thinking breeds short-term success. You have to have a clear vision of what massive success looks like, and you absolutely must build a plan of incremental goals that will drive you to that success. That’s the destination you’re working towards. You can’t lose sight of this. Otherwise, you’re going to always be that second brother. You might have a few nice pictures, but they were fleeting moments. You’re in this for the long haul.
Isn’t it time for a better tomorrow? You need to invest in yourself. And there’s no better way than by attending a Cardone Ventures event!
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