By Jorge G. Zavala | Creative Director
Happy 2015, insiders. Not to sound cliche, but this truly is y(our) year.
No matter how old you are, where you’re from, or what you do for a living, we all share something in common—a desire to be successful. Each person’s definition of success is different. Some may define success as being a loving and faithful spouse or a caring and responsible parent while other people would equate success with wealth, fame, and power.
We all want to achieve success so we could live a comfortable life—have financial freedom, drive a nice car, and live in a beautiful house. However, although success can be achieved, it does not come easy. As an entrepreneur, I understand the true struggles that come with independence from the standard 9-5 grind. The journey is a roller-coaster of a party, and there are tons of advice out there on how to "make it" as a sexy young thing making magic happen.
However, what I offer to you is my unique personal insights living, working, and savoring the entrepreneurial life in Chicago within the public relations, lifestyle, and society circuit. The following are my 5 bible rules for success in the E-life (entrepreneurial lifestyle):
1. Think BIG. The greatest danger for most entrepreneurs lies not in aiming too high or falling too short, but in setting our aim way too low. Be bold, be aggressive, and, most importantly, be a bad-ass. Don't take "no" for an answer, and always make sure you come to meetings prepared.
2. Be Passionate about Your Work. If you are already putting in tons of hours into what you love but are not getting paid for it, don't take it was a bad sign: you're a legit entrepreneur. Passion makes you powerful, and the skills you learn along the way will be lucrative. Sometimes, all we need is the appropriate agent/representative to discover us and point us in the right direction.
3. Balance. Love and war, yin and yang, whiskey and...root beer. We all need balance and we are responsible for crafting such a niche in our lives. Do yoga, go for a run, lift heavy, brah: do whatever you need to do to essentially do you. If you love what you do, then work is never really "work". However, sometimes taking a step back to unwind is exactly what we need to continue the magic-making process. As one of my favorite aunts has so bluntly put it: "Honey, we've all got work, but we've all got needs. You need to do you."
4. You're Going to Fail and It's Going to be so Damn Sexy. As the talented and lucrative Henry Ford once said,“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” Live, learn, and love.
5. You Better Work. Regardless of what we see on television or in the media, entrepreneurs do not live a comfy lifestyle initially. We work 70-80 hour work weeks in order to make ends meet during the first few years of our business endeavors, we may not look our best at all hours of the day (unless you're me), our incomes are based exclusively on how much diligence we invest in ourselves and our work, and very few other experiences in our life push us to make friends with happy hour. However, you're worth it. Don't be afraid to invest in your work and, most importantly, invest in yourself.
Happy 2015, insiders. Not to sound cliche, but this truly is y(our) year.
No matter how old you are, where you’re from, or what you do for a living, we all share something in common—a desire to be successful. Each person’s definition of success is different. Some may define success as being a loving and faithful spouse or a caring and responsible parent while other people would equate success with wealth, fame, and power.
We all want to achieve success so we could live a comfortable life—have financial freedom, drive a nice car, and live in a beautiful house. However, although success can be achieved, it does not come easy. As an entrepreneur, I understand the true struggles that come with independence from the standard 9-5 grind. The journey is a roller-coaster of a party, and there are tons of advice out there on how to "make it" as a sexy young thing making magic happen.
However, what I offer to you is my unique personal insights living, working, and savoring the entrepreneurial life in Chicago within the public relations, lifestyle, and society circuit. The following are my 5 bible rules for success in the E-life (entrepreneurial lifestyle):
1. Think BIG. The greatest danger for most entrepreneurs lies not in aiming too high or falling too short, but in setting our aim way too low. Be bold, be aggressive, and, most importantly, be a bad-ass. Don't take "no" for an answer, and always make sure you come to meetings prepared.
2. Be Passionate about Your Work. If you are already putting in tons of hours into what you love but are not getting paid for it, don't take it was a bad sign: you're a legit entrepreneur. Passion makes you powerful, and the skills you learn along the way will be lucrative. Sometimes, all we need is the appropriate agent/representative to discover us and point us in the right direction.
3. Balance. Love and war, yin and yang, whiskey and...root beer. We all need balance and we are responsible for crafting such a niche in our lives. Do yoga, go for a run, lift heavy, brah: do whatever you need to do to essentially do you. If you love what you do, then work is never really "work". However, sometimes taking a step back to unwind is exactly what we need to continue the magic-making process. As one of my favorite aunts has so bluntly put it: "Honey, we've all got work, but we've all got needs. You need to do you."
4. You're Going to Fail and It's Going to be so Damn Sexy. As the talented and lucrative Henry Ford once said,“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” Live, learn, and love.
5. You Better Work. Regardless of what we see on television or in the media, entrepreneurs do not live a comfy lifestyle initially. We work 70-80 hour work weeks in order to make ends meet during the first few years of our business endeavors, we may not look our best at all hours of the day (unless you're me), our incomes are based exclusively on how much diligence we invest in ourselves and our work, and very few other experiences in our life push us to make friends with happy hour. However, you're worth it. Don't be afraid to invest in your work and, most importantly, invest in yourself.
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