The "Go Big or Go Home" Mentaity

[seoulsearch]

Willie, excellent point about "never saying no." I have several family members who became successful by sticking with a company and doing the things no one else wanted to do. Most people moved on because they always felt the job was below them. In the end, a place of business needs someone to run it, and if you're the one who stays and learns the business while everyone leaves, you might find yourself at the top almost by default.

I do wonder though how the "Go Big or Go Home" mentality and the interpretation of it affects our way of thinking, especially when looking for a spouse.

For instance, if someone is happy with their job and has no interest in big promotions or running/owning the company, society sees that person as a "loser" because they aren't taking risks or "going for it", with "it" meaning more prestige and a higher salary. I think the pressure can be hard for Christian men in particular because there is so much emphasis on being "the leader". A company needs good team members just as much as leaders. What if someone, man or woman, is more apt to being a team member than the team leader? Everyone is trained to supposedly want "the leader", not the "team member".

I've run into this in my own dating life--I don't have a "CEO" mentality and I don't think I'm meant for it. We are all built for different things. I've grown up around "CEO"-type people and I see the tremendous amount of stress and toll it's taken in their lives and while I admire them immensely, I know I couldn't live like that. Because of this, I know men have seen me as "unambitious" and probably even lazy because I'm not "going big" in my career. And I also struggle on and off with myself because of it--am I just too lazy to go after the "big things" God wants for me? Is He disappointed in me because I have no desire to run a corporation myself?

However, I've come to the conclusion that I believe I know who I am and who God made me to be. I'm at my best as a trustworthy, reliable assistant, whether or not the person I'm assisting appreciates that. Give me a list of things to do and I will get them done to the best of my ability. I also don't expect a man to necessarily want to climb to the top of the ladder if he's happy at his job and living life responsibly. What a blessing it is to actually enjoy one's work, and it's very rare to find. Now of course, if he wants to "go big", that's great! If not, and he's making his way just fine, I think that's great, too. "Going Big" can take on many different meanings.

My "Go Big" moment right now is hoping to retire at 55 so that I can live life on my own terms. Most people think that the only way to succeed is to clamor for the top, and if God built you that way, wonderful! Go for it! But I'm just a regular person in a regular place in life doing regular things. And someday, I'm hoping they're going to have a "big" payoff.

I don't mind being overlooked or dismissed because my supposed ambitions aren't "big" enough. If someone isn't interested in me because I'm not "driven" enough, I understand. But if a man takes the time to get to know me, he'll know that he doesn't have to worry about me not pulling my weight. I don't have fancy things but they're paid for. I don't have a car payment but my car won't last forever, so I still "make" a car payment regularly to my savings so that when the time comes, I can buy another car without a loan.

I suppose to anyone else, this doesn't look like "Going Big"--saving a few dollars here and there by doing things such as making my own iced coffee instead of paying $5 at Starbucks--but I think this is another misconception.

Most people think that you have to"Go Big" by taking leaps and bounds and if that's not happening, then you might as well "go home."

But in most cases, I think "Going Big" usually comes in the form of little steps, sometimes so small that we think they're insignificant. "Going Big" might mean saving a few dollars here and there or doing the jobs everyone else refuses to do, but you do it consistently. (Someone who offers to do the lowliest of jobs isn't seen as "going big", but it could just be another small step.)

And when you've taken those small steps on a regular basis over a long period of time, some day when you actually look back at where all those steps have taken you, you just might find yourself in a much bigger place than you'd ever imagined.

 

[Hellooo]

One of my younger sisters used to manage a little boutique, and when she trained new reps she would advise them that while there was no formal dress code, they had better show up like they had fully intended on going out that day (meaning that their clothes and appearance needed to be clean and neat, ready to work attitude). It's not about the role you're in, but the level of conviction or commitment or passion you bring to whatever it is you're doing....i also wish more people didn't overlook support/team member oriented roles @ seoulsearch. One of the things I admire about companies like Walt Disney World, Zappos.com, and Chik Fil A, is that every single employee is empowered to find ways to improve their guest or customer experience, not just traditional lead roles. There's a zappos story that really illustrates their service philosophy about a person who called from a hotel because the room service wasn't delivering late, and the rep researched the closest pizza delivery places to the customer...the easiest response would have been to say it wasn't her job. Maybe it's easier to think of 'going big' in this fashion, by questioning if there's anything else you can do to improve what you do, or deliver a better quality service or experience, and the effort will follow

 

[Siberian_Khatru]

Aiming high is fantastic so long as your ego can take missing the target here and there. The "go home" half is poisonous; everyone's measure of success is different from one another. Solomon, in all his wisdom and riches, said that all is vanity - and while I forget who is credited with saying this first, someone at the height of their career once said that "when you get to the top, there's nothing there."

It's kind of motivating, and kind of bigoted.

 

[Willie-T]

Even if you don't "risk", you can still go big....... IF you desire it enough to stay consistent.

Make Your Kid Rich For $1 A Day

Reprinted courtesy of MarketWatch.com.


Having a young child is expensive, and most parents can’t set aside much money toward the long-term future of their offspring.

But most young families (perhaps with help from grandma and grandpa) could find a way to save $1 a day. This extremely modest investment can yield amazing long-term results. Would you believe $4 million when your child reaches age 65?

Let me show you.

Obviously, you won’t make money like that putting the daily dollar in the bank. It’s got to be invested, and the results of such an investment are uncertain. But I will outline a scenario that can be followed by just about any parents (or grandparents).

Let’s assume we’re talking about a baby girl named Charlotte (an old-timey name that is reported to be one of the most popular choices for recently born girls). Let’s assume also that Charlotte’s parents save $365 a year for the first 18 years of her life.

I’ll also assume that Charlotte (this is in her self-interest, after all) gives her folks enough time to figure out that an investment in small-cap value stocks is probably the lowest-risk way to invest with an honest probability of earning 12% a year.

Even with as little as $365 to start, Charlotte’s parents can buy small positions in hundreds of small-cap value stocks through a low-cost ETF: Vanguard Russell 2000 Value Index VTWV, -0.23% So let’s assume they do that, and by the time Charlotte is 18 they have invested $6,570 (18 times $365).

Compounding at 12% a year, their annual investments grow to be worth $20,348 when she’s 18. (Interestingly enough, the same result could be achieved if Charlotte’s grandparents or other family members made a one-time-only investment of $2,700 in her first few weeks of life.)

Let’s assume Charlotte, following her parents’ lead, has the good sense to keep this money invested in the small-cap value asset class for the rest of her life. Such a sensible young woman probably will be able to earn at least $5,500 a year starting at age 19. Why does that matter? Because it will give her the opportunity to contribute that much of her growing nest egg every year to a Roth IRA that will never be taxed. She won’t have to contribute her earnings, just the money her folks saved for her.

In her 19th through 23rd years, she doesn’t have to add another penny as she funds an IRA and watches her money grow. On her 24th birthday, her investments are worth $35,857. (This is probably considerably more than the majority of her contemporaries have, and for this she can thank her parents.)

Now let’s assume that Charlotte goes about living an interesting, busy life for the next 42 years until she is 66 (which is rapidly becoming the new “official” retirement age for Social Security purposes). Assuming that long-term growth rate of 12%, her nest egg is worth $4,185,342 on her 66th birthday.

Remember, she didn’t add anything to this since she was 18.

Just for fun, as you think about the following numbers consider that they could all be twice as big if her grandparents had matched her parents’ contributions dollar for dollar.

When Charlotte is 66 she can begin enjoying the payoff from this very long-term investment and all the patience it took to let it grow. Assume the money continues to grow at 12%, and once a year Charlotte withdraws 5% of it for her retirement income (letting the other 7% keep growing).

She may be startled (and I hope quite pleased) to learn that her first-year distribution will be $209,267. That turns out to be $573 a day — a huge increase from the $1 her parents initially saved.

If she keeps up this withdrawal plan and lives 30 more years, her cumulative retirement income will be $27 million. In addition, she can leave nearly $32 million to her heirs.

All this required was a modest initial commitment by someone who cared about this baby girl, an inexpensive investment vehicle, and a lot of faith and patience. Obviously the numbers won’t be exactly what I’ve calculated, because the future is always unknown.

But based on 80-plus years of history, I believe this scenario is very possible. It’s a testament to the power of long-term compounding coupled with lots of patience.

Does this scenario have “a catch?” Perhaps it does.

Here’s one: Some people will scoff at assuming long-term future returns of 12%. So I made all the calculations as if the return were only 10%. In this case, Charlotte has $1,455,159 when she turns 66. The 30 years of assumed distributions would total $5.8 million, and she’d have about $7.2 million to leave to her heirs.

Is a 10% return reasonable to expect? Well, the Standard & Poor’s 500 IndexSPX, -0.01% achieved that for the past 88 years, despite a major depression, numerous recessions and bear markets, many wars, deflation, inflation and a host of political and economic challenges.

Here’s another catch: Inflation will make these very impressive numbers much more modest far into the future. However, Charlotte probably will be able to add to her investments through her adult life.

Out of curiosity I calculated the result if she continued saving $1 a day from age 19 to age 65, an additional 47 years. This made a difference, but not as much as you probably think. At 12%, this would leave Charlotte with $4.8 million at age 66 instead of “only” about $4.2 million.

Even though these “adult” contributions totaled $17,155 (versus $6,570 for those in the first 18 years of her life), they accounted for only about 13% of the final return. That’s because those very early parental investments had so many more years to grow.

However, that doesn’t bother me much. Charlotte probably will have the capacity to add much more in her adult life than just $365 a year.

I have two additional suggestions for any parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle who decides to do this for a child:
•Make the annual payment all at once at the start of the year instead of every day or at the end of the year. Because of the time value of money, this will boost your long-term returns. (My calculations assume Charlotte and her parents did it this way).
•Give your Charlotte (or Harry or Trent or Imogene) a copy of this article for her 18th birthday so she will know your long-term intention for this investment.

With a little bit of money and a lot of foresight, you can help a child create a sound future. I hope you’ll find a way to do it.

Richard Buck contributed to this article.

 

[VioletReigns]

I don’t like man-made formulas for living as they seek to define our worth outside of our worth to God. The perceptions of man are in conflict with the reality of God. A man’s finances and possessions cannot estimate his worth in God. In fact, our financial status reinforces a false concept of our value.

When Jesus pointed out how the impoverished widow gave all she had while the rich Scribes gave a little out of their great wealth, He was trying to show how her gift was greater because she was giving of her very life. Even though her gift was considered nothing, it was her whole life she was offering to God.

What is our life? Jesus says in Luke 12:15, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

If we have an exaggerated sense of self-worth because of our wealth and possessions, we have the wrong concept of our life in Christ. Whether we are rich, poor, or in-between, it is God who gives. “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

Remember the rich young ruler who asked Jesus how to enter the kingdom? He boasted to Jesus how he followed all the rules from his childhood and was pretty sure he had secured his place in heaven. But it was revealed how much stock he put into his self-worth when Jesus said to him, “Give everything you have to the poor and follow me.” The young ruler walked away sadly because he was unable to accept the concept that money does not make the man.

As for work ethic, “Go big or go home" doesn’t work for me. I find such joy and peace in this, “Commit your works to the Lord.” Do all for the glory of God. The Father does not want your money, He wants more. He wants your whole life.

 

[Willie-T]

Nah, I kinda like having money. I've worked at jobs for $1.40 an hour (with no OT), and I much prefer my current situation.

 

[MissCris]

For once I'm deciding not to post a thought of mine in Streams! This is brought up by sort of a random thing. A Facebook page I liked made a status. It just simply said, "Dream big." with a little cloud beside it. The top comment agreed, saying, "Go big or go home." and it got me wondering a little bit about the "Go big or go home" mentality.

What are the pros and cons of this?

Could someone benefit from having that sort of thought process? Or is it more helpful than harmful? I can see how it could make someone more productive and try new things, possibly get out of their comfort zone, but what happens when everything flops? What then?

And last question, when is a time you possibly had that mentality? Did it work in your favor? If so, how? And if not, what happened and how did you react to it? Were you able to bounce back okay?

I tend to think of "go big or go home" in the context of...If it's something worth doing, give it my all, or else it's really just a waste of time.

Maybe this is why I'm so great at Starting things, but then just up and quit when I start to fizzle out...I think I tend to go a little too big and either get in over my head, or just lose interest. Hmm...

A lot of the posts in this thread are talking about going big career or finance-wise. But this phrase can apply to so much more. I mean, aside from the projects I start and stop all the time, telling myself to go big or go home serves as a way to launch myself out of my little comfortable bubble (I think that might have been mentioned already).

Go big! Take a chance! Talk to the person you would normally be too shy to talk to, take that class you want to take but are nervous about, say that thing that's been on your mind, hike that trail that seems above your level of ability....

Whatever it is, yes, there's a chance it won't turn out well (I've had lots of risks blow up in my face), but! There's a chance it will be AWESOME (and I've had a lot of risks turn out great).

I dunno. Sometimes going big is the very thing that sends me home, but even so, I let the wound scab over and move on to the next thing (usually. There have been a couple things that have scared me off taking any kind of risk for quite a while afterwards). Granted, it's not like I'm off doing crazy (or just out of my comfort zone) stuff all the time...but when I do, it's always worth it, because...life lessons and adventure

 

[Willie-T]

Didn't someone just say, "You miss 100% of the balls that you don't swing at?"

Well, they should have said that.

 

[Hellooo]

I know I mentioned work and company oriented examples in my third post, but this definitely applies to all areas of life. I guess the shortened version of what I'm trying to convey is not to do things half heartedly

 

[Galahad]

I really don't know what to say. I've never been one for making goals. Even now, I want nothing more than to get a full-time teaching job, find someone special, get married and have kids, all while serving God. That's about as detailed as my goals get and I really don't know how to reach them. So I don't even bother to dream big.

No Tintin. No. What do you mean you really don't know how to reach them? Do you mean that in the sense you haven't planned to reach them and so you don't know how? Or. you do not know how to begin to reach them? Don't even know how to plan?

Tintin, what you want is excellent. It is. What is best is the "while serving God."

I commend you Tintin.

Remember, your teaching career is part of serving God. In your marriage, you will be serving God.

I hope you are not confused or lost about how to reach the things you mentioned. If you are, that's natural. Okay.

That's all.

Really like what you had to say.

 

[Siberian_Khatru]

Didn't someone just say, "You miss 100% of the balls that you don't swing at?"

Well, they should have said that.

You can fight without ever winning, but never win without a fight.

 

[VioletReigns]

I know I mentioned work and company oriented examples in my third post, but this definitely applies to all areas of life. I guess the shortened version of what I'm trying to convey is not to do things half heartedly

Amen, Hellooo - Tru dat! And I mentioned finances in that same vein. Who wants to be destitute and homeless? I don't think anyone does. My point wasn't to dis wealth, but to state that our money isn't our measure of value.

As for life in general, the joy of the Lord is my strength. I was just contemplating yesterday how many things the Lord has brought me through and overcame for me. Honestly, it's just staggering. I was so dumbfounded thinking how in every single circumstance of adversity and need, the Lord delivered me thru His promises. I was like, "Geez oh Pete, Lord! You're really nice to me. You never lied and You are always faithful." I was so overjoyed thinking about it, I felt high as a kite. So I went outside and just stared at the sky and rejoiced in my heart.

And the one thing that Jesus did in me was make me not afraid to have dreams, set goals and reach them. God's love and grace is so vast, nothing is impossible with Him. I just don't put much stock in anything that I ain't taking with me when I leave this earth.

 

[Tintin]

Nah, I kinda like having money. I've worked at jobs for $1.40 an hour (with no OT), and I much prefer my current situation.

No Old Testament, brother? How did you do it?