You're In It For Life.

If you want to succeed in business,
dedicate your life to being a great friend.

In Get Vs. Give, I talked about people who
look at what they can get from others.
They want money, encouragement, support
and space to do what they want.
The direction of those wants go inward.

Giving goes in a different direction.
"The ones who want" tap their phones
and point to their shiny new planners for 2020
and list out all the things they want for themselves.
They want things for other people too. 

I thanked a programmer
I hired today and he said
"Robert, you don't have to thank me.
You're helping me pay for bread."
I told him that money is just one part of the payment.
Respect and appreciation are equally important.

Money is the lowest part of payment
because ANYONE can pay someone.
Giving more than money?
The room gets smaller.

You are your own boss
you always were and always will be.
If you want to get paid to do what you love,
it's the doing what you love that's the payment.
Never hold your dreams for ransom.

Ready to talk business?
I always start with the pieces you truly value.
Not what I think is valuable.
Let me walk you through a sad thought exercise.

You get a call and it's sad news.
Someone you love with all your heart has died.
Not died like "they're finally at peace",
died like you're hysterical crying.
This person was everything to you and they're gone.

Forget the circumstances.
They're gone.

Here's the rule:
You need to talk to someone
but they can't be anyone
you're related or married to.
And it's 3am.

Who's your lifeline?
Who do you call?
Who can you count on
no matter what to be there for you?

Do you have someone in mind?
What kind of friend are they?
Which one of you is the better friend?

Your best friend isn't worried about what you're paying.
They're pulling in your driveway at 4am because
it's gonna be a long night.

You know who they are to you
without thinking about it.
No hesitation at all.

That's branding right there.

Your reliable friends
give you rides to airports.

Your best friends
are in emergency rooms with you.

Ever have a friend you couldn't count on?
Are they still your friend?
That's how you have to treat your career
and anything you truly love.

I can be paid but I can't be bought.
No one owns my dreams
or happiness except me
and they never will.
There's not enough money in the world.

This isn't about me being above money.
This is me saying what I love is forever.
No contract needed.

When I just started doing voice overs
and had no money,
I bought a Jay Abraham book for $367.

It wasn't a rare copy, it was brand new.
That's what Jay charged and it was great.
I wouldn't tell anyone about what I spent
because they would think I was crazy.

My family had a piano which I loved.
In college I got a dinky little Casio keyboard to play.
Music has been a part of who I am my whole life since.

What I love makes me stronger.
You think I'm going to sell that out
because I'm late on a bill?

One has nothing to do with the other.
Find a way to put out fires
without burning something
or someone you love in the process.

I never did anything I loved for free.
I always got paid whether money was involved or not
because it was something I loved.

As a result I spent more time
doing what I loved
and I got better.

Now put that mindset into the business arena.
I'm competing against people who
are checking their bank balance to decide how much
they're going to care.

We may both love what we do
but I'm determined to give my heart
and soul to what I love every day.
I've done it for nothing and gotten everything.

You've watched enough
YouTube videos about startup founders
who went without paying themselves
and got millions when they're company went public.

It's easy to love the part where you get the loot.
The late nights coding drinking Red Bulls
and slurping down lava hot ramen noodles
with no guarantees - don't forget that part.

Your greatest friends were up late with you like that.
Didn't matter whether it was
something they happened to like.

I was helping people when I was a kid
and I'm still helping people.
No about page needed.

What you love
is not whatever you happen
to be interested in right now.
It's who you are.
You’re in it for life.