Expect pain as you will have to suffer. You will not make a Million Dollars without hurting. And sometimes it can be a fair amount of pain. Unless you win the lotto, it takes some time to get to that coveted Million Dollars, or a successful business or whatever the goal is. The problem is that we live in an age where instant gratification is a way of life.
While you build up the cash, the business, make a name for yourself, train to win championships as a sports person and any other number of efforts that contribute to the success of a Million Dollars in your account, you generally don't earn a decent living. This is very painful.
I have come across people who worked really hard building their business but couldn't actually cope with the idea that all that hard work was not bringing in a big salary. If you worked that hard for a company, you probably would get a really awesome pay package.
Sometimes it can take a few years to build up the business so that you can afford to pay yourself a really good wage. While you are suffering through this, your friends are earning good money and enjoying their holidays, new cars and beautifully furnished homes. They often also ensure that you understand how well they are doing and what you are missing.
I maintain that the reason such a large number of businesses don't make it past the critical three years is that the owners are just not able to live with the pain that the effort requires. Constant worry about cash flow and whether salaries and the rent can be paid, are not easy to live with. Add to that the fact, that you can't afford to live well, and often have to resort to baked beans and toast to keep yourself going, and one can easily see why people give up.
Sometimes they are forced to close their business down because they couldn't resist paying themselves big salaries. After all it is what they deserve, isn't it. How often do you see these young entrepreneurs flitting around in their fancy 4×4's living in grand homes, and the business is running on huge borrowings to maintain the life style. However, the business hasn't brought in sufficient profit to warrant paying out a large salary as yet. It is just a matter of time before the whole pack of cards falls down.
Talking about pain, have a look at Madonna and her road to success. When she first moved to New York in 1978, initially to become a dancer, she lived in squalor, working low-paying jobs including a stint at Dunkin' Donuts. She only started making some money after five years, earning 000 per song in 1982 when she signed a singles deal with Sire Recrods. Now she is considered to be worth 5 million and the highest earning female singer. She also holds the record for the top-grossing concert tour by a female artist.
The no pain, no gain principle is also particularly relevant in the sport arena where athletes literally suffer pain through their hard training schedules. For years, while they build their skills and reputation they earn very little money, are constantly traveling, find it difficult to maintain personal relationships due to their nomadic lifestyle and have the threat of injury an ever present worry.
As much as sports people present a great example of the painful part of getting to the top and earning their Million Dollars, everybody suffers pain of some sort while working their way towards their goals. Its the pain that people shy away from. They are often happy to put in the hard work, be passionate, prepared to take on set backs and believe in themselves and other great attributes. But the pain of being broke, not being able to enjoy the luxuries in life, driving in a wreck of a car, envying friends of their successes and many more experiences, is what stops people from reaching their target of a Million Dollars.
