8/19/2018

After a long, hard fight, you’re finally selling some of your products, or maybe you’re getting some attention and a little fame, or you’ve just reached one of your big goals in business or life. So what’s next? There’s a small voice probably whispering in your ear “You’ve made it!” Well,..it’s not completely right. For many people and entrepreneurs, they make a big mistake of getting comfortable and taking a break. In reality, they need to capitalize off of the momentum and seize the moment.  Even if you are getting a lot of attention and the crowd is yelling your name, don’t believe the hype just yet. Your success may have been a long time coming, but don’t think for one second it will continue to last if you don’t keep the momentum. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that can’t celebrate your success or goal you have achieved. In fact, I encourage it. You should celebrate, throw it up and have a ball when you reach a milestone. But remember it just as that, a milestone. After your weekend of partying, get right back on the grind and work just as hard, if not even harder and smarter. Capitalize on the attention or business and use it to gain momentum to grow.

Why and how do people get comfortable in the first place? Well, I belive there are a few reasons.

  • Tired: Sometimes when you’ve worked so hard and finally get a breakthrough, you just want to take a break and enjoy it. Again, you can enjoy the achievement, just don’t make it the end and become lazy.
  • Arrogance: When one attains some kind of achievement,  it’s difficult to stay humble in this age of social media. The first thing we do is post it on social media and brag to all of our friends how great we are. That’s not necessarily what makes it  bad though. It’s when you think you’re better than everyone else and your success is due ONLY to your hard work. It’s easy to forget the people who helped you get there, like your customers, friends, family, business partners, etc.
  • Lack of Vision: A lack of vision can make you miss all of the opportunities right in front of you with your new found success. If you aren’t able to see how you can grow, you’ll eventually fizzle back out.
  • Greed: Unfortunately, even with capitalizing off of opportunities, sometimes people become greedy which leads to them having no morals, no boundaries, and no respect for others all just to maintain their current status.

So how can we keep the momentum once we gain some success? Well, I think its rather simple. I’d say you should be aware of the milestone you achieved, but stay humble and focused. Again, you can celebrate an achievement, but immediately get back to work and focus. You should also set some new goals if you have already achieved the goals you have written down. Assess how you got to where you are now, the opportunities currently in front of you, what else still needs to get done, and how you can grow from there. The last thing I’d say, is to share your achievement and give credit where it’s due. Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or the next Rap group making waves, make sure you thank your customers, fans, team, family, friends, and last but not least, God, for helping you make it this far. Believe me, most of them are supporting you and will continue to support you as you grow bigger and better.  These may also be your loyal followers that will help your company or career thrive through the tough times! Keep this in mind, and you won’t have to enjoy the fruits of you labor alone. Cheers!

-Ronald Cetoute, Cofounder of BEL Initiative