Why US entrepreneur James Clear says business success is “rarely as sexy as it appears”

When it comes to stories of success in the world of entrepreneurship, things can seem impossibly rosy. There’s no shortage of stories about new companies raising millions and then the founders of those same companies exiting years later for more millions.

In many cases, the years of hard work and sacrifice that made that apparent success possible are glossed over or simply not mentioned at all.

That’s why one entrepreneur wants to send a message that the timeless adage of “what goes up must always come down” applies to the world of business as much as in any other situation.

In a Twitter thread and accompanying blog post, prominent US author and entrepreneur James Clear outlined why “the success you see others experiencing is rarely as sexy as it appears to be”.

2/ People naturally want to share the most photogenic version of their life and seldom discuss the process behind the scenes.

— James Clear (@james_clear) July 29, 2017

“When an entrepreneur talks about making $80k/mo, they neglect to tell you about the $65k in expenses. $15k/month profit is still a great life, but it’s not the $1M/year lifestyle you thought that person had,” Clear said.

“When a company talks about raising $7M in funding, they neglect to tell you about tensions with investors or lack of profits. When someone posts a video of themselves squatting 500 pounds, they rarely talk about training 5 days a week for a decade.”

Clear says companies and entrepreneurs are usually willing to publicly share the results of success, but keep the process behind it hidden from view. And this “deception of success” is becoming more pronounced due to the prevalence of social media.

“When your screen is filled examples of the strongest, richest, and smartest, it’s easy to overvalue the outcome & undervalue the process. You start to think there are people out there who have somehow “hacked life” such that there are only rewards and no consequences,” Clear writes.

11/ You can’t cherry-pick your favorite parts of a lifestyle. When you choose the benefits of an action, you also choose the drawbacks.

— James Clear (@james_clear) July 29, 2017

12/ If you want to be a celebrity, you can’t only choose the fame and fun. You are also choosing the hassle and public ridicule.

— James Clear (@james_clear) July 29, 2017

13/ If you want to be an author, you can’t only choose the finished novel and book signings. You are also choosing months of lonely typing.

— James Clear (@james_clear) July 29, 2017

Revealing the “great trick to success”, Clear said entrepreneurs have to want the associated “costs” just as much as the rewards.

He believes “jealousy and envy” in the world of entrepreneurship would fade if people were more open about the full story behind their success.

17/ As @naval says, if you’re not willing to “100 percent swap with who that person is, then there is no point in being jealous.”

— James Clear (@james_clear) July 29, 2017

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