In August 2008 Marc Hogan was bet £1 that he couldn’t become a stand up comic in less than 12 months and perform a one man comedy show at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival in August 2009 for 21 nights. He won the bet!
I want you to think about your best memories….
For most of us our most pleasant memories include other people: parties, holidays, weddings, births….
We are happiest when were in the company of people we like and love.
Of course you may be one of those completely self-reliant people, but for most of us we need to share our doubts, our worries, our dreams…
Don’t get me wrong we all like a bit of peace and quiet now and again, but in the immortal words of Bob Hoskins, “It’s good to talk” unless it’s a tele-marketer phoning you at 7 in the evening, and then they can in the immortal words of Bob Hoskins …
The truth is we all need support from our friends. Barrack Obama wouldn’t have run for President without the support of his wife Michelle, and I would have never managed to perform at Edinburgh without the support of my wife and friends.
(Don’t, worry, I’m not even trying to compare my comedic journey to Obama’s presidential run, but we both probably got to make jokes at George W Bush’s expense).
Occasionally however our friends and loved ones aren’t as supportive, they say, “that will never work“, or “that’s too risky”, etc, etc.
Sometimes they are right, sometimes they will raise issues you hadn’t thought of, or come up with problems you didn’t see.
Of course, they just might be just scared, and would rather not try than fail.
Since starting my own company my Mum has constantly asked me “when I’m going to get a proper job?”
When I told her I was going to go it alone, she actively counselled me against it.
You wouldn’t call my mum a natural risk taker. She’s a good catholic Irish woman,
“Jesus tried that speaking lark and look what happened to him!”
The thing is, she did it out of love, and she didn’t want to see me struggle. I had a good job, a nice house, a new wife, why would I risk all that?
So if we’re facing a dilemma what should we do? Should we surround ourselves with “yes” men and women who tell us what we want to hear, or should we also listen to the cautious ones?
When I started my own company, and went to Edinburgh, I actively canvassed friends and loved ones’ opinions, but more than that, I also sought out experts who I thought could help and advise me.
Many of these “experts” started out as total strangers but have now become firm friends.
Whenever I have a problem or a new idea I always seek out these people to ask their advice, and if they spot a potential problem, I always ask:
“How could we solve that problem?” or “How could we minimise that risk?”
Invariably we always find some way to mitigate the risk.
So the next time that you have an idea, don’t be afraid to ask people’s opinions, and more importantly listen to what they say. They might have a solution to a problem you haven’t even thought of yet!
Marc
If you would like to find out more about Marc, visit www.marchoganlive.com or to book him for a speaking event please contact your favourite speaker bureau.
