Brian Carruthers is an entrepreneur coach. During his own long-lasting journey with success, Brian has built a mantra for creating long-term and sustainable success.
Stay in love with your work.
Novelty is a strong driving force. But what about familiarity? According to Brian, “Success is doing the same (maybe mundane) thing over and over again, without losing enthusiasm. It’s looking at the concept of familiarity in a refreshed way, in a way that takes away the contempt and boredom—ills that are often associated with familiarity. When you find something that works, rather than trying to freshen things up by fixing what isn’t broken, it’s better to use your creativity to find ways to keep it fun. Put FUN back into the FUNdamentals of doing what you do. When you do that, you come to realize that success is nothing, but a series of right decisions taken consistently that are continually evolving.”
Keep learning.
In line with staying in love with your work is the process of perpetual learning. Brian says, “Learning is a virtue, it’s what keeps us occupied with creating and exploring new ways of looking and seeing. In business as in life, you are either growing or you’re dying. You’re either getting ripe, or you are rotting. As an entrepreneur, if you want bigger, faster results, you can either do more or learn to do better, be more efficient. Sometimes you will have to move with the cheese. The marketplace may shift, the consumer may want something different, or technology may displace how you used to do business. If you don’t adapt and flow, you’ll be left behind and the marketplace will forget about you. The only way to stay relevant is by constantly figuring out where the world is, and where it’s heading so you can beat people there.”
Value discipline.
Discipline has been long established as a key to success. For Brian, it’s “the art of cultivating habit. When you are conscious of your discipline, you are also displaying a consciousness of your need for it. And a need for discipline helps manifest good things. Discipline keeps your focus sharp and helps you make the most of your time. Discipline is present for us all. Either we have self-discipline, or the world will discipline us (by failure). But if we learn to make the consistent daily decisions to take the actions that will create results and success, they will become habit. And as the habit of discipline leads to accomplishment, the offshoot is that it helps you keep the joy alive in working.”
Develop a hobby.
A hobby isn’t just for children. It isn’t something you do when you have nothing else. According to Brian, it has “the potential to learn the art of cultivation. No matter the hobby, it has the power to streamline your focus, and it’s one of the best ways to see your creativity emerge and take shape in front of you. Also, hobbies when pursued in a group help you appreciate the possibility of talents that may lie hidden in others, and that could make you more humble and patient towards members of your team.”
Time-tested techniques being explored along the journey seem to be Brian’s mantra for success that keeps growing.