Your Part-Time Mindset Is Keeping You From Full-Time Success

Just the other day, someone told me the price of my mastermind group was “out of range” for her right now. Over the past five years, I've come to realize that some people are unwilling to do what is necessary to achieve their goals.

Want to listen? There's an audio version below

While I understand and embrace the importance of the “side hustle,” I've also learned that your part-time mindset is keeping you from full-time success. And, your “I will when I have time” mentality is putting a full-stop on you achieving your dream.

Sometimes Part-Time is Ok

There are some things in life where you don't mind working with someone who's a part-time worker. Babysitters, hair stylists, the kid who mows your lawn… these are all great things to do on a part-time basis.

But when it comes to building a business, you cannot be part-time. When you're designing a life you love, you can't be interested only some of the time.

Part of Me Understands

A small part of me understands the person who told me they were unwilling to invest in themselves by signing up for a mastermind. When I first started, I would have been very hesitant to spend that kind of money for something intangible and where results were not guaranteed.

But the larger part of me, the part that's put in years of work, invested thousands of dollars in personal development, and the part that's seen the results my clients have achieved… that part of me doesn't understand at all.

If your part-time efforts are simply a means to an end, like flipping burgers to make extra cash while in high school, I'm ok with that. However, if you want people to take you seriously, you can't bring your part-time game to the big leagues.

Skill vs Will

As with most things in life, the issue is either one of skill or will. When it comes to completing almost any task, we either have the skill to do so, or we don't; we either have the will to see it through, or we don't. At any point of failure, the cause can usually be placed into one of those two categories.

If you have the skill but fail to finish, you lack the will to do everything necessary. Conversely, if you don't have the skill, you can often muster up enough will to make up for lack of skill, and see your goal achieved.

We either don't have the skill to achieve our goals, or we don't possess the will to do what is necessary.

And that's ok.

For some people.

But not me.

I only want to work with the best, most driven people out there. Like the attorney who only takes cases he can win, I only work with people I know I can help. A good coach can help you with skill, but no coach can give you the will.

When Part-Time Doesn't Work

Before you fly into a rage about me saying you'll never be successful if you're only part-time, let me say something.

Part-time works, if and only if, you're all-in during your part-time. Building your business on the side is 100% fine with me if you're 100% focused during the time you have. But that's not often the case.

It's like the guy who shows up for tryouts but is only there to mess around; he wastes everyone's time. The pros, those of us who live and breathe this stuff all day every day, can spot a part-time mindset and attitude a mile away. And, we stay away from it.

For a pro, time is a valuable asset. For a part-timer, time is something to be wasted. There can't be a middle ground.

So, when you show up with your part-time mindset, the pros in the room will ignore you. While pros respect and understand and relate to the full-time hustle on the part-time schedule, they have no patience for a part-time attitude.

You wouldn't hire a part-time attorney to defend your case. You wouldn't want bi-pass surgery from a part-time doctor. You wouldn't bet the success of your wedding on a part-time wedding planner.

You can be a part-time babysitter, but you can't be a part-time parent. If you want to play in a band on the weekends, go for it, but don't be upset when you get out-hustled by the guy or girl who spends every waking moment making music.

If you wouldn't want to work with a part-timer, why would you want to be a part-timer yourself?

Part-Time on the Road to Full-Time

While I don't have time for a part-time mindset, I have tremendous respect for the part-time hustle. In fact, most of my clients started as part-time entrepreneurs before they were able to go full-time.

Here's what I mean.

A part-time mindset is one that's a take-it-or-leave-it approach to success. If it happens, great, but they're not putting everything on the line to make it happen. That's an issue of will.

A full-time mindset is one where someone is all-in, they have no fallback plan, and they're doing anything and everything necessary to make things happen. When there's an issue, it's usually one of skill.

A full-time mindset with a part-time schedule is when someone has a job that requires their full-time attention, but they spend their extra moments busting their butts to do something amazing. Though this person may not have all of the time available, the time they do have is focused and their energies are targeted.

A full-time mindset with a part-time schedule produces winners. A part-time mindset produces missed marks and unrealized dreams.

Summary

Yes, there is a place for part-timers. Yes, I know that not everyone has the desire to make a full-time income from their business. And, yes, I know that I might be coming across fairly intense.

However, I've seen the situation time and time again, where an aspiring entrepreneur is tied down by their mindset, and those ties are keeping them from doing something they'd really love to do. If you don't fully commit, you can't fully fail.

Your mindset WILL dictate your results. Don't let your part-time way of thinking limit you.