The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur

August 22Keep Grubbing

There is a sudden hoist for a meek and lowly scribbler, who was told to “stick to teaching,” and never had a literary friend to lend a helping hand! Fifteen years of hard grubbing may be coming to something after all; and I may yet “pay all the debts, fix the house, and keep the old folks cosey,” as I've said I would so long, yet so hopelessly.

Louisa May Alcott—Her Life, Letters, and Journals (1889)

Your day is coming. So, maybe you're not rich or famous yet. But you're making a difference, even if it's just in your own life. Heck, maybe you are rich and famous too.

You're willing to take risks to paint the life you want. You're open to the fact that you might fail. And dang it, people like you.

You've carved out time to learn new things. You're thankful for what you have right now. You no longer feel the need to explain yourself. You've stopped worrying about balance; you're more worried about fully living.

Yes, you've got a chip on your shoulder, too. You've still got something big to prove, but you know all this “hard grubbing” is going to pay off.

Want to know the ultimate way to determine whether you're making progress? More of two kinds of people might start showing up in your life—people who want to build you up and people who want to hold you back.

Once you get clear on where you are headed and start working toward it, the right people will take note and want to work with you. You'll also start hearing from those who envy what you're doing. ...