What We as Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Gandhi

Okay, most of you who read my articles often know, I am by far not the deepest person you will ever meet.  My idea of “deep”, is a discussion on whether the Chicago Bears of 1985 could beat the New England Patriots of today.  I am not a vegetarian,  I do not do yoga for relaxation, and I have never fasted for anything in my life.

Now, all that being said, I do have people that I look up to for motivation.  While most of the time, I talk about ways to make money, and million dollar ideas, I don’t often dive that deep into morality, and simplicity.  Well since today is the birthday of Mohandas Gandhi, and International Day of Non-Violence, and since Gandhi’s words have had a major impact on my life, I thought I would write a quick article on how he can influence your life too.

About Mohandas Gandhi ~ It has been said that Gandhi is the inspirational father of; Martin Luther King Jr, The Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandella, and many other leaders of freedom and equality.  Gandhi stood for morality, while he was  Hindu, he often was quoted as saying that morality is the best religion, and that it didn’t matter what religious background you came from, what really mattered was what morals you had.  Gandhi always stood up for what he believed in, which eventually led to him being jailed for two years, and ultimately his death.

This is the quote that I have in my office above my desk:

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”. ~ Mohandas Gandhi

I have found that this is the perfect motivation for me.  When you have a new idea, people think your are just crazy, so they ignore you.  Then, you start investing money and time into it, so they laugh at you for trying something they would never have the courage to try.  Next, they start to see some success coming from your ventures, so jealousy sets in, and they fight with you, at this point you are far past the idea stage, so you ignore them.  And finally, you have grown and either become successful, or learned from your failure, and they are no different than they were before, so…..YOU WIN!  Every time I start a new project, I look to this quote to remind me to stay task orientated.

6 things a entrepreneur or aspiring entrepreneur can learn from Gandhi:

1. Persistence: Gandhi never gave up on things that were important to him.  He lived his life focused on what he wanted, which ultimately led to India’s freedom.  To often we give up on things we want and accept failure because we aren’t persistent enough.  Don’t ever let failure be an option, if it is not a option…..it won’t happen.
2. Simplicity:  Gandhi could have had all of the riches he wanted, but yet he lived in a humble house, and wore rags for clothes.  Okay, I love my technology, and I like to think I am pretty stylish too, but I often catch myself focused on the 10,000 square foot mansion, and the brand new Range Rover.  As I walk through my house I realize, I have a television in every room, and stuff every where that I really don’t need.  For me, being a entrepreneur is about control over my life, and happiness as a result, but if you focus all of your thoughts and energy on acquiring toys and more toys, are your really ever going to be happy?  Is there ever going to be a point where you are satisfied?  I am not saying that you shouldn’t want nice things, I am just saying that you shouldn’t let those nice things define who you are.
3. Morals: How many times have you seen something bad happen to somebody, and the only thing that comes to your mind is; karma’s a bitch?  I know I think it all of the time.  Some people just deserve the black cloud that follows them around.  Being a decent human being, and having decent morals goes a long way for happiness.  If your good to people, and stand up for what you believe in, good things WILL happen for you.
4. Giving Back: Gandhi always gave back to his followers, whether it be time, money, or knowledge.  If your bank accounts are starting to bulge, or if you just notice you have more time on your hands, why not help someone or something less fortunate, it will make you feel good about yourself which will keep you motivated, keep your karma strong, and be a great 100% tax write off come April 15th (Hey, if you have to give it away anyway, why not give it to someone who needs it, instead of Uncle Sam).
5. Build a Legacy: The whole world stops and remembers Gandhi on his birthday every year because of the legacy he built for himself, and for millions of others.  Don’t just build wealth and success, build a legacy.  If you died today what would you be remembered for?  What do you want to be remembered for?  Don’t be remembered for being that person who price gauges old ladies, be remembered for something you can be proud of.  The only person who can build your legacy is you.
6. Avoid the negative: Gandhi was known for not reading the newspaper or listening to the radio, not because he was a holy roller, he just thought the news was crap.  As Happy Gilmore would say it, “It took him from his happy place”!  The news, and media is still to this day full of crap.  Quit watching it.  It will only instill fear and negativity in your mind.  Avoid all negative, and live in the positive.  If you control what you put into your brain, you can better control what will come out of it.

Summary:  Alright, I promise you this is as deep as I get.  I won’t throw this stuff at you more than once a year.  I do feel really strongly that Gandhi was a great man, and was someone that we can learn a lot from.  If you don’t have much knowledge about Mohandas Gandhi, you really should read up more about him, he was a incredible human being, and he is responsible for a lot of the great freedoms we have in our world today.  So instead of flicking the guy off who cuts you off in traffic today, or fighting with your significant other over dinner tonight, try and be positive and focus on something great today!