You never get something for nothing.

21st July 2011

When I was a lot younger I used to imagine scenarios whereby I was living the life of Riley, as a wealthy and successful businessman. I’m not quite sure how I had expected to reach this level, but I just imagined things would happen to allow these daydreams to come to fruition. Over the years I began to understand that things generally do not just fall into your lap, you have to work for them, and that there are seldom any shortcuts.

Of course I am not the only one who hoped to find the way to riches with as little effort as possible. In fact it seems that more and more people nowadays expect things to be given to them without having to work for it. I recently met a charming person in their twenties with masses of great ideas, and full of the enthusiasm of a young entrepreneur. Unfortunately despite all the energy, everything is still in his head, with a vague hope that someone would want to invest in one or more of his ideas. After talking this through with him it became evident to both of us that whilst he was bursting with money making plans, he simply wanted someone to pay him for them, and really for them to do all the work to make them happen. Once I had brought him down to earth a little, he suddenly realised that all chat and no action was unlikely to get him what he wanted in life, and that he needed to put his money where his mouth is.

It is not just the younger generation who think they can get something for nothing. I often meet business owners sitting on their backsides waiting for a golden goose to appear. Funnily enough it hasn’t happened yet, and unless you are prepared to work for it, it probably never will.

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