After many years working, teaching and consulting students and professionals from diverse backgrounds (70+ countries) and walks of life, I have learned a few lessons that I think any aspiring entrepreneur, leader, or industry veteran would find beneficial. Here are some of the ideas and principles I learned by myself or from others that have served me well in my journey as an entrepreneur and throughout my professional career. I hope you find them valuable and can learn from my mistakes and successes.
●Life is for the corageous. Thus, develop top mental and physical endurance.
●Failing is OKAY, as long as you fail forward. Failures are the building blocks and steps towards success. If you don´t fail, you don´t move forward.
●Courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit are the five tenets of Taekwondo. They served me well as an athlete, but even more so in my personal and professional life.
●Always have more than one backup plan, just in case things go south. (Plan A, B and Z)
●Never give up, but if you do, make sure you have a better option.
●No matter your age or experience, there is always room to keep improving and striving for a better version of yourself.
●Learn, practice, and then TEACH others. When you teach good things, you are doing yourself and the world a great favor.
●Respect and be courteous to people on your way up throughout your career and life, as you might have to face them again on your way down.
●Develop the art and science of great communication, since it is the only way to show how much you are worth (value, talents and skills).
●Never stop meeting new people from different countries, industries, organizations, and social classes. If they are good people, they will make you bigger and better.
●No matter what you do for a living, try to be the best at least in one thing. No one pays for mediocrity. Set long term life goals and stick to them with annual objectives.
●ALWAYS have multiple sources of income, because life takes many unexpected turns and you don’t want to be tied down to one company or place.
●Never settle for less than you deserve, but make sure you deserve what you ask for.
●Always live below your means, but within your needs. Avoid debt, have 4 different financial investments, and always invest in your continuous education.
●Learn the art of persuading, convincing, and negotiating, since you will be doing it for the rest of your life.
●Every action has a consequence and implication. Your future depends on your actions of today!!
●Even when things turn dark, smile, be tough, plan, work smart, and look forward. “Most” problems have at least one solution.
Cheers to ALL of YOU, the brave, since I learn from you, students, clients, professionals, friends, family and the community every day. Special thanks to my daughter and two sons who always inspire me.
Edgar Barroso