Hey @abdt here,
Ever seen the hit movie Catch Me If You Can?
It’s one where Leonardo DiCaprio plays Frank Abagnale Jr…
The real-life con artist who forged millions of dollars worth of checks while posing as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor...all before his 19th birthday.
Reason why I think it was such a big hit?
The incredible tension and suspense in each scene… knowing Frank was just one mistake away from being “found out.”
Maybe because we all secretly feel that way? That we all may be just one screw up away from being exposed to the world as a fraud. A faker. Someone who is underqualified, underachieving, and underwhelming.
As I mentioned in our last email, this feeling is super normal. It can take hold of anyone at anytime… no matter how much “success” you’ve had in life.
I’ve got a good friend, let’s call him Jim, who grapples with this “Wantrepreneur’s Disease.”
Chances are, if you’re ambitious, you’ve felt this too.
See, Jim is the kind of guy who wants to launch an online business that makes 6 figures within a year…
(aka. Mind-blowing success)
...and yet, has trouble even getting started because he thinks to be a “real entrepreneur” you need to “look the part” ie) get a spray tan, drive a fancy ass car, or attend $10,000 events so he can get a creepy snapshot of himself with himself standing beside Tim Ferris.
So he waits. And does nothing. And here’s the part that drives me bat shit crazy:
He keeps talking about how successful he’s going to be. Someday. Maybe.
Is he nuts?
Or does Jim just have himself a nasty case of Wantrepreneur’s Disease?
Where you constantly battle with the nagging suspicion you aren’t smart/rich/connected enough to earn your seat at the table… and eventually someone’s gonna figure it out.
Like you’re a bank robber wearing a disguise that’s seconds away from falling apart…
… and the cops are two steps from turning the corner, hauling you out in handcuffs, Frank Abagnale style, exposing you to the public as a fraud.
So you freeze up. Stop taking risks.
And do everything in your power to prove to yourself it’s true.
To put this in perspective, just imagine a martial artist who first cracks 50,000 views on his YouTube channel…
Who kicks himself because a troll left a comment saying “You’re a fraud. My dad could kick your ass in a street fight - he was in the Massod in 1995, and says you’re a wuss.”
He’s doing awesome… but decides to shut down his YouTube channel, because he views the troll’s comment as gospel.
He’s made MASSIVE progress, but is so concerned about what others think it paralyzes him.
Or picture a sushi chef who passes up on a chance to go on “Kitchen Nightmares” with Gordon Ramsay because his ex-girlfriend watches the show... and he’s afraid of getting yelled at and humiliated on national tv.
(Obviously, these are funny examples. But you get the point.)
You see most people who suffer from Wantrepreneur’s Disease choose the WRONG way to deal with it…
They either decide to ignore it and live in constant state of anxiety and insecurity, worried about what people think of them...
Or they decide to stay small because they think it’s safer than losing the respect of their peers if they fall flat on their face.
After all, you can’t fail or embarrass yourself if you don’t try, right?
But what kind of a way to live is that?
It’s like living in a padded room or putting a straightjacket on yourself so there’s no way you can ever get hurt. It’s only fun until you realize how hard it is to get back up on your feet.
Listen, there’s no way I’m going to let that happen to you… but first let me show you the wrong ways to handle Wantrepreneur’s Disease and why those strategies can blow up in your face.
Then I’ll give you real-life advice on how to beat it back for good.
Get out your notes. Here we go….
HOW (NOT) TO OVERCOME WANTREPRENEUR’S DISEASE
Failed Strategy 1: “I’ll just try harder than everyone else… so no one catches on I’m clueless.”
Everyone knows someone who’s a Gary V fanatic, and works 27 hour days because #thestruggleisreal. Problem is, that never works. Hustle and grind can only get you so far.
Why it doesn’t work:
No one is handing out medals (or money) to the guy who “wakes up with bloodshot eyes and b.o. cos he fell asleep on his laptop”. Sure, putting in longer hours might give you temporary relief from your anxiety…
But there’s no way your sleep-deprived mind is going to help you come up with a breakthrough business idea that helps you escape the 9-5 and permanently live life on your own terms.
What to do instead:
Apply the 80/20 rule.
Science shows you get 80% of your results from 20% of your effort. So stop measuring your success on the quantity of hours you’re at your desk and put your focus on the quality of your ideas.
Put aside the “busy work” that’s been eating up your day, and set a timer for two hours to get laser focused on the tasks that will create the biggest results for you. (Hint: it’s the activities that will bring money into your business today, not tomorrow).
Failed Strategy 2: “I’ll just wait until the conditions are perfect. Then I’ll start.”
Why it doesn’t work:
A wantrepreneur thinks that tomorrow is always the perfect time to start a business. He stalls because he doesn’t think he has enough money or connections to make it work right now.
So instead of taking action he reads more books, attends more seminars, and waits for a “fail free” window to appear.
Listen, the perfect conditions will never, ever exist. So the riskiest thing you can do is wait, because it keeps you from learning the lessons that only setbacks can teach you.
What to do instead:
Follow Michael Masterson’s advice: “Ready, Fire, Aim!”
In other words, act now and fine tune later. So instead of perfecting your plans, start taking imperfect action today... and while you’re at it? Embrace the failures and what they can teach you.
99% of the time, no one notices or even gives a rat’s ass when you don’t nail it the first...or second… or the 15th time, anyway.
People are just wayyy too dialled into their own lives to pay attention.
So either embrace the fact that failure is good for you right now, or put your dreams of running an online business permanently on the shelf....because the perfection you’re seeking is going to drive your dreams into the dirt.
Let’s wrap this up...
Listen man - if you're suffering from Wantrepreneur’s Disease, then let me put your mind at ease.
Every great entrepreneur has faced this.
Every. Single. One.
The truth is…
How you deal with it is what separates successful entrepreneurs who launch their businesses and reap the rewards… from those who spend 20 years of their life wishing and thinking what if... before finally throwing in the towel.
When we were starting Simple Pickup, Kong and I promised each other that we wouldn't be wantrepreneurs.
We wanted true success. And we were willing to do whatever it takes - even if that meant falling flat on our faces from time to time.
So even though we felt like we didn’t have the perfect set of skills, experience or connections...
Even though the big players in the game and influencers who could take our dreams to the next level didn’t appear (or even care) at first…
We always pushed ourselves to grow and learn from our mistakes and become our own biggest fan and mentor).
And that's what I want to leave you with today.
Don't ever give up.
No matter how many of your family members, teachers, or friends make you feel like you're crazy…. no matter how worried you are about failing to reach your ambitious entrepreneurial dreams... don't get down.
You and I both know you've got what it takes deep inside you. You just need to put in the time, and it will all start to materialize.
And not only that...
We’ll be here to help you every step of the way.