Wait. How can being bored make you more successful? Isn’t boredom a big sign that you’re not being productive?
Well, while that might be true if you’re sitting around on the weekend trying to decide what to do, that’s not the type of boredom I’m talking about.
I’m talking about the type of boredom that inflicts almost every single entrepreneur. The type of boredom that sabotages our success...
The boredom that comes with having figured out what works.
Why Boredom is Key to Success
When I first heard this ‘key to success,’ I didn’t understand it either. But the more I thought about it, the more it started to make sense. And I realized I was guilty of tossing this key out the window a few times in my past.
Here’s the nugget of wisdom that made me realize the value of boredom…
About a year or so ago, I was at a private seminar with a lot of successful people in the room. They were the type of successful people who looked like regular Joes and Janes, but many were pulling in seven and even eight figures a year.
One of the most successful people was called to the podium to speak, and he said something that struck me because it seemed so counterintuitive. He said, “The people who are the most successful are the people who are the most bored.”
"The people who are the most successful
are the people who are the most bored."
I bet that made you cock your head to the side, too. I certainly leaned in closer, thinking that I misheard him.
But as I listened to his explanation and even mulled it over while lying in bed that night, I realized that it was exactly what every entrepreneur needs to hear. Every entrepreneur (including myself!) needs to understand the value of the boredom that comes with having figured out what works, because once we do, we'll be spared a lot of failures and a LOT of wasted time.
Here's what I mean…
All Entrepreneurs Get a Case of Boredom-itis
A huge driving force of entrepreneurs is the need to figure something out, to create a solution, to make something work. Solving the riddle, laying the foundation, and launching a product or service excites us!
We thrive on the challenge, looking it straight in the eye and yelling, “Bring it on!”
But then what happens?
What happens when we solve that riddle, lay that foundation, and launch that product? I can tell you what happens because it happened to me…
In 2009, I launched a shiny new creation called Web Copycat. It was a simple software product for newbies who were trying to make money online. I'd figured out a solution to the tehchnical problems they faced with other tools/systems on the market. Without going into too much crazy detail, my software was based around the idea that people could just copy my websites that were already making me money (without needing any tech skills). Hence the name, Web Copycat.
I launched, and my company grew quickly. Before I knew it, I was regularly raking in $30,000 a month. And, I was only working 20 hours a week. I was on top of the world!
But then, I got bored.
My shiny new creation started to dull—not because it wasn’t performing as well (quite the contrary, actually) but because I started to get bored.
I got a case of Boredom-itis.
The entrepreneurial itch started to irritate me again. It made me want to scratch at other ideas and other problems. It made me want to cure my Boredom-itis.
But by me trying to cure my Boredom-itis, I infected Web Copycat!
The Cure is the Problem
When I started scratching at shiny new ideas, Web Copycat suffered.
My business life became a roller coaster ride because I found myself locked in this cycle:
I tried to cure my boredom by pursuing a new and exciting side business >> sales would drop >> I’d freak out, stop “curing my boredom” and focus on Web Copycat >> sales would increase >> I’d get bored again and start pursuing boredom cures >> sales would drop >> and around I went!
I repeated this cycle for almost two years, and then I came to the WRONG conclusion.
I came to the conclusion that my sales were plummeting and rising and plummeting again because the business (Web Copycat), was sick. So, I decided that business that had been making me $30,000/month with only 20 hours of work per week, wasn’t as good as the latest idea I was pursuing.
So I dropped it.
But the truth of the matter was that I was sick! I was suffering from Boredom-itis. The sales were all over the place because I was all over the place.
I should have concluded that my sales faltered whenever I diverted my attention towards something new and more exciting.
But that’s a side effect of boredom-itis: blindness! It blinds you to your current success and you only see shiny new ventures.
Embrace the Boredom
There's a 'funny-but-true' line that my more experienced internet entrepreneur friends like to say from time to time to drive home the point: "It worked so well, I stopped doing it."
In other words....
I figured out how to make money with something...
Got bored with it (because I'd figured it out)....
And stopped doing it and went on to something else.
Entrepreneurs need to embrace the concept that boredom - at least the type of boredom that I'm talking about - is a symptom of success. Boredom means you found the solution and are delivering it seamlessly. It means that your success has reached a new level!
Don’t try to cure your boredom because you’ll only end up “curing” your success. You’ll end up curing something that’s not sick!
It’s like a doctor saying, “You’re perfectly healthy, so I’m prescribing ten pounds of bacon and extensive couch-sitting.”
Don't let the very thing that led you to success
take it away from you!
Boredom-itis is what led you to success in the first place. That itching led you to create something new and exciting and profitable. But Boredom-itis will also sabotage your success.
The only REAL cure for Boredom-itis is acceptance.
You have to accept that boredom is a symptom of success. You have to accept that boredom is what will keep your business alive and thriving because you keep doing what you’re doing. You need to stay focused on your successful venture.
Micro Boredom
Also note that this same concept applies to small tasks, as well as entire businesses. You can’t create a Facebook group, post for a few weeks, get bored, and move on to Instagram.
You have to embrace micro-boredoms, too!
If you haven’t read about it already, you should check out my Law of Just Do Some Shit. It will help with your micro-boredoms.
Need Help Embracing the Boredom?
Look, I still battle entrepreneurial boredom every day. I still daydream about other business ventures and get excited by shiny new things. But I am learning from my mistakes. I am learning how to embrace boredom and enjoy the success that comes with it.
The thing I'm focusing the most at being bored at currently, is my business to help as many people as possible overcome stage fright and become more confident public speakers. If this is something you're interested in, grab the free gift I have for you here.
Read Next: Stop Comparing Your Results to Others’ (Especially Gurus)
