Is it your New Year’s resolution to start a business coaching practice in 2017? Are you wondering if you’re ready to take a big chance? Here’s a pep-talk for you.
I caught a rerun of one of my favourite films this week: Rounders.
If you haven’t seen it, the film charts the rise, fall and rise of law school dropout and poker natural, Mike McDermott (played by a young Matt Damon).
The main plot follows McDermott as he tries to win enough money to pay back the debts of childhood friend Worm.
But there’s a really interesting subtext which always grips me.
As the film reaches its climax, McDermott reaches out to his mentor Joey Knish to borrow money to take another tilt at his nemesis, Teddy KGB.
Knish turns him down and berates him for taking too many risks, for going for the big score and risking losing it all.
Knish is a “grinder.” Day in, day out, he grinds out a living playing 12 hours a day against weaker players, slowly taking their money with percentage plays. Never taking any risks.
As he says, “I’m not playing for the thrill of f-ing victory here. I owe rent, alimony, child support. I play for money. My kids eat.”
There’s great nobility in being a grinder.
Both my grandfathers were miners. Breaking their bodies underground to feed their families and put a roof over their heads.
Both my parents were teachers. They didn’t always love what they did, but my brother and I got a great education and opportunities they never had.
There’s a wonderful, selfless nobility in being a grinder.
And yet…
And yet, Mike McDermott knew he had the chops to play a bigger game.
When he’d won enough to pay off the loan and avoid the beating that came with non-payment, Teddy KGB goads him to play for bigger stakes. McDermott knows that quitting while he’s ahead is the safe play. The one Joey Knish would make.
“You can’t lose what you don’t put in the middle…but you can’t win much, either,” he says.
He risks it all for a shot at the big time. To follow a dream.
Sometimes. Just sometimes, you know in your heart the big play is the right thing.
Sometimes you’ve got to get above the grind and play a bigger game.
Is that you this year? Are you ready to take the big chance–to start a business coaching practice in 2017? Are you ready to take a chance on YOURSELF, once and for all?
There’s nothing quite like the thrill of getting in the game.
See you in Vegas 😉
Ian Brodie helps consultants, coaches, and other professionals to attract and win more clients. He’s the author of the #1 Amazon bestseller Email Persuasion and has been named as one of the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders in Marketing and Sales and one of the “resources of the decade” for professional services marketing. You can get more of his in-depth tips on starting and growing your business at www.ianbrodie.com.
