It’s your soft skills that move mountains…

Prerequisite for your first $100k (or million)

While browsing Facebook Reels (again), I came upon an interview of Brian Tracey.

He said that the first million is the hardest, which honestly a cliche to me. But what struck me the most was when he argued that the most important part of achieving that feat is that who you become when you reach that goal.

Your goal could be not million dollars for now, maybe a revenue of $100 k, but the point is, based on his argument, the most important part of the journey, is your transformation.

On your way to that milestone, you change.

Read that again, internalize it.

It’s that important. You change. What does he mean by that?

Hard skills vs. soft skills…

Five years ago, when I was watching YouTube, I came across an ad to start a business, an online business. I bought the course, worked on the business but in the end, I stopped the business.

It was an Amazon Private Labeling. The model didn’t matter, but what mattered was I failed.

How?

It was in another business model that I have success that I realize what was lacking, on why I failed.

I failed because I focused so much in strategies and tactics, which is nice and needed. But in the end, as I was failing and losing money, my mentor talked about soft skills.

Hard skill is learning how to analyze your data, your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) or the important metrics.

Hard skill is learning how to write copy that converts.

Hard skill is looking at the product and knowing it will grow.

Hard skills are important, but it may not take you far enough to reach the promise land. Achieving your goals, requires soft skills.

I was in an important inner circle call when my business mentor introduced me to soft skills. The first thing that ran in my mind was, what are soft skills?

He then proceeds by telling stories of people who enroll in his mastermind or inner circles, hoping to reach their goals.

But here’s the most important part: If you think the mentor will make you make or break, think again. It’s you.

When you’re down with debt, what do you do?

When Facebook shuts you down, what do you do?

If you give up easy, you’ll get not very far. It’s the soft skills that moves mountains. What are soft skills? This can be confidence, resourcefulness, patience and integrity.

These are the skills that really matter.

It’s not resources but resourcefulness…

I came upon a story of Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was a teenager. He planned to work out that day, Sunday. But when he went to the gym, the gym was close, so he broke into the gym to workout.

He can’t take no for an answer.

Arnold was resourceful.

But it didn’t stop there. He was serving his army duties when the opportunity to compete for the Jr. Mr. Europe came. He knew he will be in the barracks, but what he did was escape from his duty, rode a train to England where the Jr. Mr. Europe was supposed to happen and compete.

Without proper attire, he borrowed a swimsuit, and the oil to grease his body.

That’s resourcefulness right there. Taking no for an answer.

When I read these story several years ago, I was stumped with a technical problem in my work.

I grind until the end to solve the problem.

Few months later, I got an email from a co-worker, asking for help in solving a problem. After a whiteboard discussion, we outlined what to do.

In a private conversation, I asked her why ask me and not the other scientists? She replied, you are known to be resourceful in solving problems.

I thank her. But add grit and perseverance and moving forward as few of the soft skills I developed through the years.

Technical know-how is important, but the soft skills move you forward.