The Nine-Tenths Rule
October 5, 2024
What's Holding You Back?
What’s holding you back in your business, relationships, or career? For most people it’s plain old fashioned fear. Fear of debt, fear of losing money, fear of conflict, fear of ridicule, and even fear of being successful. I have even seen people who thought that if they started a business and made a lot of money their family members and friends wouldn’t like them anymore. And guess what. Some of them actually won’t. So we should include fear of rejection.
I would say these fears, among others, are probably why most people never start a business, never invest in real estate or never make a much needed career change. And sadly in some cases, never end up with the man or woman of their dreams. Of course in reality the fears are all nonsense. They get hit by the terror barrier. That’s the subconscious barrier between your comfort zone and your dreams and ambitions.
Andrew Carnegie used a quote that he supposedly learned from a story about a troubled old man to alleviate his fears in business. The story might even be true. Who knows?
“I have had a long, long life full of troubles, but there is one curious fact about them. Nine-tenths of them never happened.”
Imagined Problems - Lost Opportunities
Most people imagine nine-tenths of their fears when doing anything new. How many fortunes have never been earned because of fears that were imagined!
The point here is that Carnegie went where most people were afraid to go. He outdid his rivals because he pushed past his fears. He came to the realization that nine-tenths of his fears would never happen. His rivals didn’t learn that and they paid a price for it.
Your wealth is important to you, your family, and your business. To build your financial momentum you must realize that 90% of your fears will not happen. Don’t let unfounded fear stop you. There are always risks in business.
I have seen many real estate investors pass on properties that turned out to be a huge win for someone else. It happens all the time in real estate. They analyze and analyze and calculate and fill elaborate spreadsheets with data. And then in the end their fear takes over and they find a reason to pass on the deal. And guess what – someone else buys the property and is successful with it. And 90% of the fears that chased the first buyer away never happen.
If you are someone who wants to make a change, invest in real estate, buy a business, start a new business, start a new relationship, but you aren’t sure if it’s the right thing to do, just remember that 90% of whatever fears you have that are keeping you from getting started will likely never happen.