Anthony is author of the "The Hyperfocused Entrepreneur". He also has a Youtube channel with 15k+ subscribers, built and exited two 7-figure companies, and manages a $80M real estate portfolio.
Guest Author: Anthony Vicino
Here’s 3 unexpected lessons from Rock Climbing that I used to build two 8-figure businesses:
1. The TOP Isn’t What Actually Matters
There are countless ways to get to the top of a cliff.
Hell, thousands of tourists hike up the backside of Half Dome each year.
So simply getting to the top doesn’t actually matter…
What matters is HOW you get to the top.
Keep this in mind as you build your business or you’ll get to the top and hate what you’ve built.
Pick the path optimized for fulfillment, not ease.
2. The Problem isn’t the Problem
We have a special name for the routes we climb on boulders.
They’re called: Problems.
But what are we there to actually solve?
Most think it’s the rock, but it’s not…
The rock isn’t the problem… You are.
The rock itself is pure objectivity.
It is what it is.
The question we must answer is:
How are WE going to adapt to the challenge presented by that slab of granite?
And because each of us are unique little snowflakes… this means we all have to answer this question for ourselves.
When it comes to building a business…
YOU are the problem.
Solve that and everything else will fall into place.
3. The Difference Between Type One and Type Two Fun
Climbing is a weird activity.
We intentionally put ourselves in the path of difficulty trying to climb the hardest route possible to the top.
It’s from this artificial constraint that beauty and creativity and growth appear.
But here’s the thing…
Doing hard things is hard.
And often leads to a certain type of self-inflicted suffering.
For example:
Imagine sleeping in a hammock suspended 2,000 feet off the ground.
That sounds like hell to most people… but now imagine you’re in the middle of a lightning storm.
I don’t care who you are… you’re probably sh#*&%* yourself with fear.
Side-note: Pooping on the side of a cliff is also a unique form of hell for most people.
Here’s the worst part:
You have absolutely nobody to blame but yourself.
You’re the idiot who got yourself in that position.
And now you need to suck it up and deal with it.
This is what we call Type Two Fun
Type One Fun is fun in the moment…
But Type Two Fun is miserable in the moment… the type of suffering you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy…
And yet…
Once you manage to haul your ass back to camp…
…and you’re at the campfire with your buddies sharing stories of your partner pissing his pants when a lightning bolt split the heavens 200 feet in front of you…
…and you’re basking in the afterglow of your epic accomplishment…
…well, everything starts to look a bit different…
Time softens our memory and eventually we recall the event fondly.
This is Type Two Fun.
Very little of what we do in building a business is fun in the moment…
But almost all of it is fun in hindsight.
In my experience, Type Two Fun is the best kind of fun…
Assuming it doesn’t kill you…
But that’s a different story for a different time.
