Just like in sports, you can go into a slump in business - A lesson I learned from a very successful hockey player on the art of being patientJust a few months ago I was in a big rut with all of my businesses. Nothing seemed to be going right. I was having issues from things like my merchant company not wanting to do business, to staffing, to thefts, to getting sued for almost half a million bucks, etc. You name it and things were going wrong on almost all business fronts. Any sane human being would have said screw this, I could go work somewhere and make more money with no headaches. Imagine not making a single penny for months? That’s the reality of what could happen when you are an entrepreneur and thats why you diversify and keep a massive nest egg for rough times.I didn’t sleep properly for 4 months while all the crap went on and trust me it eats away at you emotionally and even physically (you stop taking care of your body). I knew I had to not let it get to me and just keep working through everything very hard which I did and keep doing. Finally even though not all the problems are solved, I am a better entrepreneur because of it and my businesses got through some very tough times.I remember the year was 2003 and I was an athlete at the Canada Winter Games in Bathurst, New Brunswick. TSN’s Farhan Lalji asked to interview me at the athletes village during one of the days. While I was sitting in TSN’s waiting room there was another young athlete beside me. I asked him what sport he plays and he said Ice hockey for Nova Scotia. Me being a hockey nut and knowing some of the guys on Team Manitoba Ice Hockey that I used to train with, I heard of this kid from Nova Scotia that was going to be at the games who was getting a lot of attention from scouts.  While sitting beside each other, I remember going to him so you are supposedly the next “Paul Kariya” everyone keeps saying. Paul Kariya was a great hockey player but not near the level this kid has now reached. I remember me and this kid had almost a 30 minute conversation on sport and on life. After that encounter, I ran into the kid a couple other times in the athletes village and we had a few more conversations. One thing I learned about him was how much passion he had for his sport and you could tell by the way he carried himself that he was going to be very successful.Over the last couple years you have all probably seen him on television battling some serious concussion problems that people say could end his career. One thing I learned in my encounter with this kid is that he is the most patient person in the world. I have been very inspired over the last 2 years watching him rough it out over some very tough times and being patient. If a kid can battle through something like that for 2 years, my problems in business are nothing for the last 4-5 months I have had to deal with. This kid is still dominating his sport after being away for so long and hopefully it’s his final time away for a while. The best part is, I know if he has another setback he will just continue to fight and keep coming back.SIDNEY CROSBY taught me to learn to be patient and you will get out of your slump if you keep working hard.

Just like in sports, you can go into a slump in business - A lesson I learned from a very successful hockey player on the art of being patient

Just a few months ago I was in a big rut with all of my businesses. Nothing seemed to be going right. I was having issues from things like my merchant company not wanting to do business, to staffing, to thefts, to getting sued for almost half a million bucks, etc. You name it and things were going wrong on almost all business fronts. Any sane human being would have said screw this, I could go work somewhere and make more money with no headaches. Imagine not making a single penny for months? That’s the reality of what could happen when you are an entrepreneur and thats why you diversify and keep a massive nest egg for rough times.

I didn’t sleep properly for 4 months while all the crap went on and trust me it eats away at you emotionally and even physically (you stop taking care of your body). I knew I had to not let it get to me and just keep working through everything very hard which I did and keep doing. Finally even though not all the problems are solved, I am a better entrepreneur because of it and my businesses got through some very tough times.

I remember the year was 2003 and I was an athlete at the Canada Winter Games in Bathurst, New Brunswick. TSN’s Farhan Lalji asked to interview me at the athletes village during one of the days. While I was sitting in TSN’s waiting room there was another young athlete beside me. I asked him what sport he plays and he said Ice hockey for Nova Scotia. Me being a hockey nut and knowing some of the guys on Team Manitoba Ice Hockey that I used to train with, I heard of this kid from Nova Scotia that was going to be at the games who was getting a lot of attention from scouts.  While sitting beside each other, I remember going to him so you are supposedly the next “Paul Kariya” everyone keeps saying. Paul Kariya was a great hockey player but not near the level this kid has now reached. I remember me and this kid had almost a 30 minute conversation on sport and on life. After that encounter, I ran into the kid a couple other times in the athletes village and we had a few more conversations. One thing I learned about him was how much passion he had for his sport and you could tell by the way he carried himself that he was going to be very successful.

Over the last couple years you have all probably seen him on television battling some serious concussion problems that people say could end his career. One thing I learned in my encounter with this kid is that he is the most patient person in the world. I have been very inspired over the last 2 years watching him rough it out over some very tough times and being patient. If a kid can battle through something like that for 2 years, my problems in business are nothing for the last 4-5 months I have had to deal with. This kid is still dominating his sport after being away for so long and hopefully it’s his final time away for a while. The best part is, I know if he has another setback he will just continue to fight and keep coming back.

SIDNEY CROSBY taught me to learn to be patient and you will get out of your slump if you keep working hard.

Posted 1 year ago
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Tagged: entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, the serial entrepreneur, business, be patient, patience, hockey, sidney crosby, crosby, prakash chand, prakash, tsn, canada winter games, .