#13 Having Multiple Sources of Income

You may have heard the saying,

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

Makes sense.

Don't risk everything on the success of one venture.

Entrepreneurs take this seriously, it's one reason they work for themselves.

As anyone who has lost a job can tell you, it can feel like your whole basket full of eggs (income, savings, benefits) breaking all at once.

Instead of having one big client (like an employer) entrepreneurs love to have multiple sources of income such as consulting work, working with several clients, side jobs, selling products, royalties, coaching, investments and much more.

In that way an entrepreneur might say put one egg in a backpack, one in a drawer, scramble one of them with cheese, keep another in your hand, one in a basket and then convert one of them into bitcoin.

If you diversify your income, work with better and better clients, stop trading time for money and eventually have that elusive smart passive income everyone talks about, then you'll be sitting pretty.  

This is #13 in my diverse and scrambled series 100 Things Entrepreneurs Love where I remember little awesome reasons why I love being an entrepreneur.

10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Graduated College

It's graduation season and hard to believe that I graduated college seven years ago this month. Inspired by this article shared by close friend Michael, I thought it would be fun to share with you 10 things I wish I knew when I graduated college:

1. Stay around inspiring people I've heard there are two kinds of people: those who inspire you and those who drain you. I've found that to be true in my life. It's important to stay around people who inspire you and not waste your time with people who manipulate you or drain you or that you find out you can't trust.

2. Work with good people Sometimes it's tempting to work because of money, power, fame, or job security and work with people who we might not want to associate with otherwise. Don't do it. Do work you're proud of with good people.

3. Be a giver and avoid the takers We all know givers and takers in our lives, don't be a taker. Be generous and sincerely help others. It always works out for the best. It helps you find the other givers really quickly too – people who gladly give to others when they feel how great it is to be around someone generous like you. It also helps you find the takers who would use you up as much as they could. Avoid avoid the takers.

4. See the world If you're inspired to study abroad or do something crazy awesome like join the Peace Corps, I say go and do it. It may be 30 years from now before you have a chance to do something like that again. I know plenty of people who regret not going or serving abroad, but I can't think of anyone who regretted going out and doing it.

5. Enjoy discomfort Most people spend their whole lives trying to be comfortable. They buy new stuff constantly, they stress out when things aren't just perfect, and everything seems like an emergency and an imposition. The world is constantly changing and it's out to get them. Learn to enjoy discomfort and realize that it's just part of growing and changing constantly. Then you will not only grow and become a better person, you also inspire others to dream to become better too.

6. Don't be a victim Whether you think you're a victim or not, the world is not out to get you. Whether you think you are or not, you are responsible for your life. You control your thoughts, your habits, and your life. If you don't like the way the movie of your life is going, write a new script.

7. Help others succeed We all have the chance to help others succeed. Write encouraging emails first thing in the morning. Thank people regularly and send them things that you think will be helpful to them. Write recommendations for people you love working with. Ask people you admire how you can help them. Judge your success as a leader by how many people you helped advance personally and professionally in the last year.

8. Build your personal brand The job market is changing rapidly and will continue to change. One thing that won't change is how important it is to have a good reputation, people who trust you and a personal brand that's authentically you. Start your own website (it's easier than ever), share your experiences and thoughts on a blog, or create something awesome and put it out into the world (which brings me to #9).

9. Create something of value Write a book and give it away for free. Create an online course by recording yourself doing something you're talented at. Send out an email to your close friends and colleagues and ask them what they think you're great at doing. Teach that. I've written three books, taught two courses, helped launch two companies, and organized an online conference in the past five years. I'm not special, the technology available just makes this easier than ever before.

10. Be the kind of friend you wish you had Constantly ask yourself how you can be a better friend. What do you wish someone would do for you? Do that for someone else. Eventually you will surround yourself with people who treat you as good as you treat others.

There's a lot more I'd like to say, but luckily I have plenty of space to share it in.

Until then, no mattter when you graduated or will graduate, good luck and I hope you have fun every day from here on out!

Five Friends

I remember driving from King’s Dominion with 4 of my good friends in college. It was a highlight of that year and one of the best theme parks I’d ever been to, lush and covered in beautiful trees.

We were tired and it was almost 2 in the morning. We were switching the driving between the people who claimed to be the least tired. I’m sure we were all equally exhausted.

We talked to keep the driver awake. Someone said, “So… Who’s going to get married first?”

We all laughed and started accusing each other of being first. Some of us were in relationships, and others weren’t. It was a fun moment and I remember thinking it would be one of the last times many of us would be together. Some of us were graduating soon, others would in a year or two after that.

I don’t remember who called it or won the bet. We all bet we got it right.

Either way, it fell out this way:

One of us went into graduate school, then teaching, and is dating a very nice girl today.

One of us went into medical school a year later, started dating a fellow student and got married within a year. Now, six years later, they have three kids.

Another of us went into graduate school, then teaching, then graduate school again, then Peace Corps, and is dating a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer.

One of us finished undergrad that next year, did an extra year to finish his masters and then got married to his sweetheart from college. They have a little girl.

One of us finished school, went into Peace Corps, met a very nice girl, got married two years later, went to grad school and is sitting here in Vermont writing this story.

If I could go back to that night, I’d not only win the bet but I would also remind myself that I was right. This was a special moment.

We get older and it’s harder and harder to stay in touch. We all get busy and the future unfolds in surprising ways.

I hope I can always stay awake to those moments and enjoy them.

Be Brave

by Jackson Brown Jr.

Be brave. Even if you’re not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference. Don’t allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It’s there for your convenience, not the callers. Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is. Don’t burn bridges. You’ll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river. Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated. Don’t major in minor things. Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Helen Keller, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Learn to say no politely and quickly. Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Don’t waste time grieving over past mistakes Learn from them and move on. Every person needs to have their moment in the sun, when they raise their arms in victory, knowing that on this day, at his hour, they were at their very best. Get your priorities straight. No one ever said on his death bed, ‘Gee, if I’d only spent more time at the office’. Give people a second chance, but not a third. Judge your success by the degree that you’re enjoying peace, health and love. Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly. Leave everything a little better than you found it. Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation. Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life and death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems. Never cut what can be untied. Never overestimate your power to change others. Never underestimate your power to change yourself. Remember that overnight success usually takes about fifteen years. Remember that winners do what losers don’t want to do. Seek opportunity, not security. A boat in harbor is safe, but in time its bottom will rot out. Spend less time worrying who’s right, more time deciding what’s right. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life. Success is getting what you want. Happiness is liking what you get. The importance of winning is not what we get from it, but what we become because of it. When facing a difficult task, act as though it’s impossible to fail.