I have heard that 90% of businesses fail within the first five years and 90% of the ones that survive fail within the next five. This is a pretty staggering statistic if you think about it. I am sure a good percentage of these business owners have shitty ideas, another x% fail because of fraud, and another x% didn’t have their hearts in it from day one; however I believe that most of the time businesses fail because the leaders don’t think positive.

I admit it–I delivered pizzas for two years; I waited tables for probably another four. The entire time, I was living in Encino and waiting on rich people who thought their mayonnaise was the most important thing in the world. (Quick note: I believe everyone should wait tables for at least a year during his or her lifetime. It teaches you how to be a good servant, a little humility we all could use, and besides, let’s face it, everyone needs to realize mayonnaise isn’t that damn important in the greater scheme, and it clogs arteries.)

During my tenure as a delivery boy and server, I was building mobileStorm. It was the perfect job because I was able to work on my company during the day and wait tables at night. Any other type of industry routine in L.A. sound familiar? Yes! It’s what actors do, and, funny enough, people would ask me all of the time if I was an actor. I told them I was developing a technology company, at which point they would just vacantly stare at me until I told them I was just kidding and that I really was an actor. “Great acting job, huh?” I would say.

Okay, getting a bit off subject here, but it’s important to understand that I had to do what I had to do to follow my dream. However, going this path really sucked. It was so hard to stay positive when I was living paycheck to paycheck and trying to figure out a way to pay my personal and business bills in the coming weeks. I was really in that whole chicken and egg vortex.

I believe many entrepreneurs don’t stay positive. The bills pile up, the stresses of having to develop a product and close deals is a reality on a daily basis, and they just throw in the towel. I have been there many times, but I stayed positive. I had a partner at first who was not pulling his weight and it was really draining me and the company, but I stayed positive. I had a major client who was yelling at me daily because I could not provide a bug-free system, yet I stayed positive. It was one thing after another, like being in the ring with Tyson during his crazy years (or today–today will work, he is still crazy). I even had family members sit me down and tell me that maybe I should look for a job, and that mobileStorm might not pan out. Damn it, I had to stay positive!

If you truly believe in your vision and you know in your heart that you will achieve the success you have set goals for, then no matter how long it takes you to reach those goals, stay positive throughout the entire process. That is what will get you there. I know, I know, easier said than done, right? But think of the alternative–waiting tables sucks and, for the true entrepreneur, so does working for anyone.

So with so much going down, how do you stay positive? I’ll be the first to admit there is no way you can do this on a day-to-day basis, but remember you are in it for the long term. Keep your eye on the prize. Below are five techniques I have used to get my mind off things:

1. Go somewhere quiet and pray. Note: this doesn’t work if you are an atheist. But if you believe in someone bigger than you, this can really take your mind off things and bring you peace.
2. Think about someone you love or want to be with. This works especially well if you already have a wife or girlfriend. She will usually put a smile on your face and help you forget, at least for the moment.
3. Drink alcohol. Seriously. Don’t become an alcoholic, but a nice Johnny Walker (Blue) with one cube every blue moon can’t hurt. Sometimes all you need is just to make it to the next hour or day.
4. Take time off. I know you feel like it would be the end of the world if you took a few days off, but in reality everything will be fine. Take a three-day weekend and go somewhere you can be distracted and have fun, but don’t go to Vegas because you will lose and will be in a worse spot then when you left.
5. Bury yourself in work that you have needed to do. Try and get that project done that you have on your to-do list, one that hopefully involves writing or math. You can distract yourself while at the same time get things done

Check out part 2

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