The great entrepreneurial FLIP FLOP

This week's question from my portal “The Neagle Code: Directions for Life” comes from someone who wishes to remain anonymous.

Question:

Hi David,

For the last 23+ years of my life I have been going back and forth between two completely different paths in my life. It has kept me stuck and unproductive at becoming successful like I would like to be.

I have gone back and forth between being a martial arts instructor (as an employee) and owning a photography business. I LOVE both. I can no longer do both. I don't have enough hours in a day to build either profession to the bigness I would like to. The end result is that I am confused, tired, and broke.

I know I am at a critical time in my life, and that I need to decide between them. Leave (for good) one of them, and explode the path I choose into the greatness I know I am capable.

I LOVE both so much… and am in agony in making this decision. I have been in this “place” for several years now… and it is too painful. It is my constant thought 24×7.

What am I not seeing in making this decision? Why can't I make the decision and stay true to it? I feel the longer I waffle back and forth; I loose major credibility with family, clients, and myself.

Help me to understand and see what I am not seeing so I can make the decision that I can move forward into in building a satisfying productive and successful life and career.

Thank you!

Answer:

Hi!

Thanks so much for your question.

You can't chase two bunnies.

In simple terms, it means that what ever you focus on will grow. What's happening right now is that you're splitting your focus, and consequently, neither business is growing.

In your case, I would recommend that you choose either photography or martial arts, and focus 90% of your time and energy on building that specific business. When you have that business up, running and successful, you can then hire people to help you expand, so that you can then focus on the other business.

There is a common misconception that you can only have one desire. It's just simply not true.

Many successful entrepreneurs have several loves and several businesses, but they built each one at a time.

I do have to be honest with you about something though. I sense that there is a hidden fear that is causing you to be indecisive.

Do you doubt your ability to make money in either of these businesses?

Are you worried what people will think if you choose one over the other?

Is there something or someone you will need to let go of if you make a decision?

Get very clear on what the underlying fear is, and then make your decision.

Because you've changed your mind many times, you'll have to be extra committed to honor the decision you've made and see it through to success.

Your ego may even create situations to get you to change your mind. These situations are merely illusions.

Remember: Because Spirit gave you the desire; Spirit has also given you the way to step into that desire.

“Just Believe”,®

PS: The Neagle Code: DIRECTIONS for LIFE is a weekly no-cost program that is open to everyone! Each week, I'll select and personally respond to one question received via the above “The Neagle Code” page that I feel in my heart will help the most people. (You may choose to remain anonymous if you wish, with our full support.) It is my deep, heartfelt intention that ~ in answering your questions ~ I may provide you with the Universal Truths that in committed application, will set you free. Simply submit YOUR burning question at: www.TheNeagleCode.com to participate.

PPS: May I ask you to help me spread the word about this program? Is there someone you care for who is stuck, or struggling, or lost, or unhappy? Because if so, I would very much like to help. No matter their question, no matter their predicament, no matter if they've never heard of me before … if they would like to ask for help via www.TheNeagleCode.com, my Team and I will do our very best to provide that help.

10 comments

  1. David,

    You have no idea how your website and article blessed me today. I have literally been holding my breath every day trudging through a job I hate and merely dabbling in my business – stuck – not moving anywhere. I decided this weekend to sincerely ask God for what I REALLY want and to be open to God’s guidance. The first email that caught my eye was yours in which you answered this question! This guy’s situation is similar to mine; I’ve been dabbling between 2 businesses and not succeeding in either! Thank you a million times over for allowing God to use you. Your ideas are life changing!

    • Wow Carmin, that is great. The question is where do you go from here? You have been given the information you asked for…what’s next? Keep me posted.

  2. I totally relate to this story. I’ve been stuck between building a music business and developing myself as a musical artist. Both skill sets are burning to be developed and given and yet to try to do both simultaneously is an overwhelming. After having left my job last year to work on these projects, I ended up taking a job again due to my overwhelm of trying to do both and relying on new music skills to be the revenue generation in the business. A $30,000 lesson that also impacted my health and time. The lesson is that I need to focus on one or another for a while and make it successful before moving back to the other as described above in the post.

    At age 33, the question now becomes one of which one to focus on first. The underlying fear for working on the biz first (with only my own faculties as a resource now) is that of getting caught up in it and never being able to take ownership of my time again and that of getting too old to do much with music development later. The underlying fear for focusing on music development first is that of being in an unfulfilling job in the meantime while develoing musically and the possibility of not having an income, job or status that’s supportive of a strong reputation or supportive of my short term needs and desire, values. Throw issues of the economy in to the mix and how our goverment keeps pumping paper money in to the air and that impacts both choices as I keep receiving invites to go help build a sustainable property in the boonies in a place that doesn’t seem supportive of either project above. Any feedback, comments, suggestions invited.

  3. I have been down this path myself, and David’s advice is absolutely spot-on – including the fear issues.

    I would add to David’s advice, the following:
    1) Keep the other 10% open to work on the other/secondary one. It will “keep your head in the game”, keep you from getting rusty and it will make sure that you don’t miss it so much that you stop doing your primary direction.
    2) It would be helpful to know your purpose to help you decide. But having said that, it is the journey that matters most. Committing to one will get you on your purposeful path.

    Blessings,
    Keena

    • Thanks Keena. The commitment is in the decision, and that decision should be based on desire and what juices you. If the decision is made based on money, than it is coming from lack. Find what makes you happy and do it!

  4. “Your ego may even create situations to get you to change your mind. These situations are merely illusions.”

    In 2002 I let some trusted friends & peers talk me out of even trying to initiate a project I had in mind, and I’ve just resumed it in the past few months – and exactly as you’ve said David, the way to achieve it showed up AFTER I had made the firm decision that I was finally going to go flat out! This has rendered their discouraging words and advice completely invalid.

    Once I saw this happen, I spent a moment being quite angry with them – but then, since I’ve come to understand that nobody can influence me without my permission, I must have manifested or attracted those specific responses (not a single one was positive or supportive), so I wonder if on some level I wanted to be given permission to abandon it before I’d even tried.

    I wonder how often we tell our plans to people we secretly know won’t be supportive, not to enlighten them or because they have “need to know” but because we WANT someone to give us permission to quit?

    I like to be quite open with people, but I wonder if it’s sometimes better to keep our own counsel when the goal is still in the tender early stages, especially when achieving it somehow threatens someone else’s ideas about what’s possible?

    • …the way to achieve it showed up AFTER I had made the firm decision. This is how it happens Miss C, it’s just that most people won’t push through that ‘Terror Barrier’ to get to it. They want it to happen in reverse, and it simply doesn’t work that way. I appreciate the response.

  5. It seems to me that this person is facing a great time of change and reinvention in their life. I wonder if they have contemplated combining their two loves into one super-strong desire, rather than choosing between one or the other? What if they chose to harness the power of both, and dedicate themselves to becoming, for example, the greatest martial arts photographer of all time? The potential is huge if a person has the awareness to decide on something and see it through. I hope this person has the courage to make the decisions he (or she) knows they need to make in their heart, and remember that Spirit doesn’t operate from fear. Enjoy the excitement that awaits in the changes you will be making instead!

    • As long as they are not resisting the decision to choose one in favor of the other, then that could work Angela. The problem lies in how the decision is being made. If it is based on tolerating one because it pays more, then the decision is made in safety from a lack place. That is for this individual to decide and what they are willing to do in order to move forward. I appreciate your post.