What I do appears unreasonable to other men

One of my favorite books of all time is Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage.  It’s a story of defeat and success.  In 1914 Ernest Shackleton led a group of explorers to make the first crossing of the Antarctic continent.  As they approached Antarctica, their ship, the Endurance, become stuck in the ice and they began a battle against the elements for their very lives.  Shackleton had many flaws as a man, but as a leader in this tough circumstance, he showed his unfailing character as he led every man in his crew to safety.  They suffered unbearable cold and hunger on the ice for over a year.  Eventually they were able to row smaller boats to Elephant Island and eventually Shackleton led a smaller group to South Georgia Island (650 miles away) where they found help in a small whaling town.

Every small business owner can learn a thing or two from Shackleton.  In addition to leading the expedition, he had to organize funding and manage all the affairs of the “business”.  It was during the lead up to World War I when Shackleton was trying to get his expedition up and running.  He ran into every obstacle possible.  It appeared impossible to raise the funds.

This audio clip shows the exchange between Shackleton and one of the wealthy men he petitioned for funding. Press the play button to listen. 

[su_audio url=”http://www.tylergarns.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/shackleton.mp3″]

I’m not the type that would recommend putting an expedition, or a business, before family, but in this clip Shackleton shows his perseverance. Against all odds, he pushed forward.

[su_note note_color=”#dfdfdf”]You think the threat of war makes it hard to raise money; it doesn’t make any bloody difference! If it’s not a war, it’s a peace, or the stock market, or the weather, or the time of year. It is always hard, because what I do appears unreasonable to other men.[/su_note] 

This is the type of attitude and mental toughness that every entrepreneur must have in order to be successful. Shackleton realized that NOTHING could be an excuse to failure. Failure was not an option for him. He knew it would be hard because others didn’t understand what he was doing. That tends to be the case with most ground-breaking businesses.

If things are hard in your business, let that excite you. Don’t take no for an answer. Don’t allow failure to be an option.

That is the only way!

You think the threat of war makes it hard to raise money; it doesn’t make any bloody difference! If it’s not a war, it’s a peace, or the stock market, or the weather, or the time of year. It is always hard, because what I do appears unreasonable to other men.

This is the type of attitude and mental toughness that every entrepreneur must have in order to be successful. Shackleton realized that NOTHING could be an excuse to failure. Failure was not an option for him. He knew it would be hard because others didn’t understand what he was doing. That tends to be the case with most ground-breaking businesses.

If things are hard in your business, let that excite you. Don’t take no for an answer. Don’t allow failure to be an option.

That is the only way!

About Tyler Garns

Tyler Garns is best known for his work as the Director and VP of Marketing at Infusionsoft, where he led the marketing efforts that produced massive results between 2007 and 2012. But he’s also been the “go-to” Infusionsoft guy for many of the top marketers and Infusionsoft users out there. His combination of technical skill, Infusionsoft expertise, and marketing experience make him one of the most reliable sources of business breakthroughs for Infusionsoft customers.

5 thoughts on “What I do appears unreasonable to other men”

  1. I too, love this book and find it extremely relevant to many facets of business and life. I find it extremely valuable to look at current projects from time to time, and if i notice that nothing on my plate seems “unreasonable to other men” then i know for some reason i’m holding back and need to start being completely true to myself.

  2. Pingback: unreasonable behaviour or not? |

  3. Dang, and all I ever explore is a ski hill or a hiking trail or a restaurant that is new to me and I feel all adventurous. Here Shackleton shows up with real passion for the conquering the unknown, and I realize just a bit how small I have been living.
    Thanks for the gift, Tyler.
    -Kevin

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