reposted from an article I wrote on reddit.com: https://www.reddit.com/r/EntrepreneurRideAlong/comments/27n66h/dont_tell_anyone_my_secret_advice_for_success
Don’t Tell Anyone
Seriously, don’t…
When I first started Dallas Maids I didn’t tell anyone exactly what I was starting, not my friends, not my family, no one. Oh, there were rumors, some thought the worse because it was a secret. “Starting a naughty site?” A friend once joked BUT this EXACTLY why I told no one… To avoid negativity.
You see, people are highly susceptible to suggestion. You may believe yourself strong headed, but subconsciously what is said sinks deeply into your mind, providing input your subconscious uses to guide your actions. Negative feedback is detrimental!
So understanding this psychology, my operations were top-secret until I became established. No chance for folks to advise me to get a “real” job or others to openly wonder why I gave up a promising career in high tech for mopping floors. And I’m SO glad I did is because starting Dallas Maids along with my other businesses have been the BEST decision I ever made.
Avoid Negative People
…like the plague.
In the process of starting and growing my businesses I’ve gladly de-friended a few in real life. Negativity is a downer. For many it is instinct to secretly despise friends that have had more success, even try to sabotage their success. Mind you, this is NOT consciously done, they do not know they are saying and doing certain things to sabotage your work. It is a subconscious programming in place through both ones environment and genes. On a side note, I highly recommend you fellas to read up on psychology. Books such as “Influence: Power of Persuasion” or “Secrets of the Millionaire Mindset: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth” are invaluable.
Negative people suck…
…sometimes it’s hard to avoid them. As you know, there are some serial negative suckers on reddit. Get an unwarranted negative comment on your thread or post? Look through their previous posts. Sad how some are addicted to negativity. Though don’t get defensive because 1) it’s them, not you and 2) be glad they are not in your real life!
You could avoid reddit entirely but maybe that’s not an option because of the value you get and give here. That’s why I’m here: I’ve been blessed to know the freedom of having your own business and want to share my experience with you because you deserve to have this, too. We are lucky to experience this sliver of time between two great eternities, so make the most of it! Experience and do good.
Ending tangent. Let me get back on track…
So don’t tell anyone when starting a business, continue de-friending negative people and befriending positive people, and learn a little about psychology. Lee Iacocca attributed his success to his psychology degree. Understanding people and motivating them are key. I’d recommend his autobiography, too, good book.
This advice is my own derived from what I had known of psychology. It is one of my secrets on how I started my first business and having it wildly successful. Strangely, it’s advice absent from any business related book I’ve read at the time – though in the May, 2009 issue of Psychological Science is an article confirming my “don’t tell anyone” strategy I used in 2004: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/200905/if-you-want-succeed-don-t-tell-anyone. Anyway, I hope this helps you, especially if you are just starting out. Know that you already have everything within you to do this. And each day you are becoming better and better.