How to Become a Self-Starter

This year I’ve had a wonderful time writing and speaking about how to turn your passion into profit. I’ve been encouraging you to take the plunge and convert your hobby, passion or brilliant idea into a thriving business. One of the reasons this resonates with people is because full-time jobs are fast disappearing in Australia and other western countries.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, full-time jobs have been disappearing over the past decade while the number of people working casually is growing rapidly. This means that a record 1.1 million people now have work in Australia, but want more hours, according to the Bureau of Stats. The collapse in full-time work is particularly affecting men. The share of the male population with a job of any sort has dropped to 66.2 per cent, the lowest level since the recession of the early 1990s. I find those figures frightening, but there is even worse news for our children and grandchildren.

Almost 40% of all jobs, including skilled positons, could be wiped out in 10 to 15 years as automation and robotics are rolled out. The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) released a report in June warning people to get ready for enormous changes to the Aussie workforce, because almost five million jobs will disappear in the next 20 years. That means that about 18% of the Australian workforce will find their jobs no longer exist.

All sorts of industries will be impacted – dentistry, chemical engineering, law, journalism, mining and farming. In the future there will even be robots in hospitals working alongside nurses and doctors. The world is at the beginning of another industrial revolution. How are we humans going to respond? Well, you have two choices: you can become very frightened and hide, perhaps deny that this change is coming, or you can get ready for it. In the future, small businesses and startup companies will generate more jobs and many people will work across multiple jobs, projects and contracts. Less people will have secure full-time jobs, instead people will have to become clever and create their own opportunities.

That is going to take a lot of getting used to. I predict that the self-improvement industry will grow. People will need more help from mentors and coaches. They will turn to life coaches and motivators to help them prepare for change. My job has always been to help people grow and reach their potential. I know that the people I have worked with over the years have an edge in business. More people will seek support when confronted with the enormous industrial change and it is only a few years away. If you are considering a career in self-improvement or life coaching, be aware that more and more people will seek your services as automation is introduced. In the US in the 1970s there was a huge economic downturn and thousands of people were retrenched. At that time self-improvement literature became hugely popular. The books of Robert Ringer, a self-improvement expert sold millions of copies. His book, Winning through Intimidation, was number one on the best-selling list for months. People are going to need to be trained to learn how to look out for their own economic or ‘market’ interest, because it’s unlikely they will have a secure job in this brave new world, but if you have been reading my blogs on turning your passion into profit you already have a head start.

If you are a parent you also need to be getting the next generation prepared for these changes. They are going to need an entrepreneurial mindset to thrive. The first lesson children need to learn is that neither business nor life is fair.  No one has the time to lament injustice or to resist change that is inevitable. I have been fortunate to spend time in third-world countries with people, who face obstacles that most Australians could never imagine, and you know what – these people don’t spend a lot of time complaining that life is unfair. They just get on with it and do the best they can for themselves and their family.

Leaders do not rely on fairness. They accept that they will meet obstacles and have to deal with unfair situations. If a child comes home upset from school or sport because they missed out on a prize or a spot on a sports team the worst thing you could do is tell them that it wasn’t fair. If you say this you are effectively telling them that they have no control over the situation. They are powerless. Perhaps the teacher does have a pet and bypasses your child or the sports coach is biased against your kid. It doesn’t matter. Telling a child that the situation isn’t fair is disempowering. A child is not going to be motivated to study harder or practice their sport more if they think their success is in someone else’s hands. If they think their success or failure is down to someone else’s whims they are going to give up on life. This defeatist attitude is referred to as ‘below the line thinking’. Success is never down to someone else’s whims. It is down to us persevering even when we have been disappointed or short-changed. Success is about overcoming setbacks and obstacles. A 2012 study by Queensland University of Technology found that parents who blame other people for their child’s failures undermine their child’s confidence and stop them from becoming resilient and developing problem solving skills.

Teach your child to take responsibility for every situation. You need to raise a resilient leader not a victim. When a child is dealing with a failure sit down and assess the situation with them. Go through every stage leading up to the disappointment and focus on factors that are within the child’s control. What could they have done differently to change the end result? You need to teach your child to look for opportunities for growth. If they are consistently bettered by one particular child in spelling or sport, encourage them to look closely at what the other child does to achieve success. Yes, the other child may have a natural advantage, but perhaps they are also more organised, disciplined and determined. Would it be possible for your child to have a study date or play date with the other child and learn from them? Intelligent and talented children thrive when they spend time together. You could also tell your child you are prepared to meet with their teacher and discuss methods that will help him or her do better in the future. Only take this step if the child wants it. They may need a day or two to think about the option.

Discuss with your child what they have learned from a disappointing experience, and how they might handle disappointment in the future. Always praise your child’s abilities and of course tell them you are still proud of them, but please do not tell them that it wasn’t ‘fair’. We are facing radical changes to the workforce in the next two decades. People who adapt to change will prosper. People who lament that life isn’t ‘fair’ will struggle. Make sure you equip your child for success when facing this fast-approaching industrial revolution.