It is ten o’clock in the morning. I am sitting in a small room in the basement of an old apartment complex. Unlike the rest of the musty concrete basement, this particular room has been newly renovated. There is a brand new glass door which separates the room from the rest of the complex, freshly painted white walls and a shiny new wooden floor. The room is completely empty with the exception of a small folding table and four folding chairs where we now sit. This is the Free Your Mind Company World Headquarters.
Sitting to my right is a half sleepy Wingman Stick. To my left is Mr. Black who is carefully reading over a two page business concept I had written the previous night. A smirk spreads across the old man’s face as he looks over to me and says in his sharp Boston accent, “Holy fahcking shit, this is beautiful, absolutely fahking beautiful!”
“Uhhh, thanks.” I say, “I thought this might be right up your alley.”
“Oh yea, you bet it is. Listen…” he pauses for a second, “let me ask you, where do you see yourself in the future?”
“Ummm, I’m not sure, I guess just being successful at whatever it is I do.”
“Ah, I see. You know what? You just told me everything I need to know about you. In that one little sentence you told me that, basically, you’re a chicken shit!”
“Oh…”
“You say that you want to be successful but you have no clear picture at what you want to be successful at. You haven’t got the balls to commit to your future yet. All you gave me was a fuzzy picture of your future and you know what that’s gonna get you? Absolutely shit. Do you understand what I’m saying here?”
“Yea, I think so.”
“OK then. This idea you brought me today is worth at least…a quarter million. Now, if you can visualize yourself going through with this project and making it happen, I’m willing to finance it. Now let me ask you again, where do you see yourself in the future?” Mr. Black says in the most serious of tones.
“I see you, Wingman Stick and I working on this project, completing it and making a ton of money.”
“Make it happen” he says.
With those final words the meeting is over. I walk out of the basement and think to myself, “holy fahking shit!”
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Whoa, ok, that’s pretty awesome sounding… but I damn well hope you’re planning on elaborating in your next post!
Hehe, yea there is more coming…just trying to build up a little suspense:)
Heeee’s Back!!!
Good luck with whatever it is that you are working on!!!
Confidence and bravado will often get you through most situations. believe in yourself and you cant lose.
Remember what Cray said when they asked him where he saw himself in 5 years. He said, build the fastest computer in the world. And when they ask him where do you see your self next year? he said 1/5th of the way to the fastest computer in the world.
John,
I’m not familiar with Cray but it sounds like a great success story. It definitely seems that focus is the key here.