The following article is an excerpt reproduced with permission of SEO Master Instructor Fabian Lim, the author of the book Click! Work Anytime, Live Anywhere. Fabian also conducts the Search Engine Academy Workshops for Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Choose To Be Right Or Choose To Be Rich?
Would you rather choose to be right or to be rich? If you could only select one, which would it be? The obvious answer it seems is “to be rich of course!”
However, based on my personal experience interacting with thousands of students, friends and acquaintances, the behavior and actions of the majority seem to suggest that being right is more important than being rich.
Most people would rather live their life working in a 9-to-5 job, living from paycheck to paycheck than explore one of the most proven paths to wealth creation i.e. entrepreneurship.
Why?
Because entrepreneurship is too costly, too hard, too risky, too tiring etc.
Now, I can understand and maybe even empathize with why some people naturally worry about the cost of starting a business. But we are now living in the Internet Age, where anyone can literally start and operate an online business for less than $20/month.
So the cost argument against entrepreneurship does not hold water, especially when one can choose to start an online business rather than a brick-and-mortar one.
And having taught thousands of people how to start an online business, I’ve had the good fortune of hearing many creative excuses about why some people choose not to take action after having invested in their online business education.
“No time”, ranks number one in the long list of excuses.
No surprises here.
Then there are those who choose to become an online entrepreneur but refuse to acknowledge the importance of continuing education. The reason? “I’d like to master the basics first” is the most common answer.
Master the basics. Really? That’s strange. Because as far as I know, no education system in the world works this way.
In Singapore, we spend 6 years in primary school; take the infamous PSLE exam at the end of primary six then proceed immediately to secondary school in the following year.
After completing four years in secondary school, we sit for the Cambridge O Levels exams; immediately after passing the O level exams, we advance to either the junior college to pursue A Levels certification or the polytechnic to obtain a diploma. Thereafter, it is straight to university to obtain a degree.
And throughout all that, we are constantly learning and being tested on completely new subjects; we are not given the option to master the basics before being pushed to the next level immediately!
You see, there’s a fine line between reasoning and excuses.
Most reasoning are really just excuses in disguise. And people who constantly offer excuses are also usually the same people who believe they are right in their reasoning – that’s why they are not rich!
Furthermore, there is an inherent difference between making a right decision and making a profitable decision. The sad truth is, most people seem unable to differentiate between the two.
A good example would be the financial trading community, where financial traders, both professionals and amateurs, make trading decisions based on their understanding of the market. If their trade turned out successful, they would pride themselves at being right. However, if their trade turned out unsuccessful, they are quick to blame the market or some other elements.
The fact is, in trading, you can make all the right decisions and still not end up a profitable trader in the end!
Something to think about in light of the recent stock market turmoil…
Fabian Lim
Author, Click! Work Anytime, Live Anywhere
P.S. You have my permission to share this article with your friends!