"How do I start?" With self-belief...

"If you want to live forever, follow me.  If you want to die today, follow me."
                                             --Robin Lee Allen

"You must believe in yourself.  You must belief that you are the one to do it.  For if you cannot believe in yourself then why should anyone believe in you?"
                                             --Felix Dennis

"The world belongs to me, and I will shape it in my image, penetrating the hearts, minds and souls of the countless multitude."
                                            --Robin Lee Allen

"It is possible that the world was created only for me.  If it was, I must admit that it is going very well for me."
                                            --William Henry Gates, III

Do you get it?  There is one quality that separates the somebodies from the nobodies, the special from the pedestrian, the wheat from the chaff, the gods from mere mortals.  Every single thing about life, every system of control, every government, every national stock market, every religion, every war, every philosophy or opinion, every human endeavor that has ever been accomplished--let alone spoken about, written down and remembered--boils down to one thing: BELIEF.

Say it with me:

"I know who I am.  I know what I believe.  That is all I need to know."

That is the basis of life.  "I exist.  I believe.  I deliver."  There is nothing else.  NOTHING.

(In case you didn't realize that the quote above is also a link, here is the video:)

You must come to believe in yourself to the point that people fear you, that people mock you, that people become silent around you.  WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO, WHATEVER THE COST, DEVELOP SELF-BELIEF--EVEN IF THE COST IS YOUR LIFE.  FOR IF YOU LIVED WITHOUT SELF-BELIEF, YOU NEVER LIVED AT ALL.

Or, in other words...

WITHOUT SELF-BELIEF YOUR LIFE IS WORTHLESS.

There is one entity in existence that can assign value to your life.  There are two ways to see that entity:

1.) By looking in the mirror.

2.) By closing your eyes and remembering what you were before you learned to speak.

What were you?  I have not the slightest idea.  That is for you to determine.  However, I can tell you the essential truth of Robin Lee Allen:

"I am the conscious, self-shining light that contains within itself its own reflection and the reflection of its creation."

There is none but me.  Only when my light shines so bright, that it blots out all of the stars in the sky and I am alone in my own glory can I turn to another, see the same light in that person and know love.

As Ayn Rand once said,

"Before you can say 'I love you' you must be able to say the 'I'..."

I am not here to coddle or encourage you, but only to document my philosophy and my application of that philosophy so that you can decide what to copy and and what to discard.

If you like what you see, great.  If you don't like what you see, great.  Here is another eternal truth for you about Robin Allen:

"I did not come for the sake of the multitude, but only for the chosen few."

The answer to the question, "Who are the chosen few?" is this:

"The reason that many are called, but few are chosen is because so many are unwilling to step forward and choose themselves."

The Point:

The point is whatever you believe it is, because that is exactly what you will become.

What have you put your faith in today?

How to start:

Look at yourself--in your mirror or in your mind--and pledge allegiance to yourself.  Fall in love with yourself.

Conceive of yourself and feel joy, laughter, fear and pride.  Regard yourself and say your name until your spark becomes a fire and your eyes begin to glow.

State who you are with such ease, such confidence and such certainty that people's responses--when you take note of them--surprise you.

For example, take this conversation as a general outline:

Nobody: "I don't think you will succeed at that.  Many have tried and failed."
Somebody: "I am Robin Allen."
Nobody: "Well, I am John Doe." (While thinking, "I can't believe this motherfucker!")
Somebody: "I would really like a fruit popsicle from Whole Foods right now.  See you later."

IT IS CRUCIAL THAT YOU REMEMBER IT IS NOT YOUR JOB TO PUT ANYONE DOWN OR LIFT ANYONE UP.  YOU HAVE ONE LIFE THAT YOU SHOULD BE TENDING TO.  WORRYING ABOUT OR CRITICIZING ANOTHER TAKES TIME FROM THE MOST IMPORTANT TASK IN YOUR LIFE: BUILDING YOUR OWN SOUL.

WHETHER YOU ARE PRAISED OR CRITICIZED IT MEANS THE SAME THING: NOTHING.  UNTIL YOU ASSIGN VALUE TO THE COMMENTS OF ANOTHER ABOUT YOU OR YOUR LIFE, THE COMMENTS OF ANOTHER ABOUT YOU OR YOUR LIFE ARE MEANINGLESS.

Remember, you can determine that nature of a tree by looking at its fruit.

I salute you.

-RLA

***If you have made it this far, know this.  If you have every been despised, cast aside, abused, neglected and forgotten.  If you have ever felt utterly and completely alone and in the dark, this post is dedicated to you, for you are what I once was.  I am now Robin Allen.  When you believe what I believe, say your own name with confidence and certainty.***

Who the hell is Robin Allen?

I believe that I exist and that satisfies me quite nicely.  I am proud of my value and the fact that I wish to live.

However, after one has basked in the glow of one's own existence for a (hopefully short) while, one must manifest one's excellence in a way that is comprehensible to others if one wants to be valued by others in the way that one values oneself.

In other words, we are what we contribute to society.  While it is nice to simply be an apple tree, it is better to produce apples.  A better question may be, "What does Robin Allen do with his or her life?"

I live out my dreams, because even though life is really long it has this habit of coming to an end.

I help people by winning.  I focus on ways to make money by delivering to people things that they value.  Specifically, I start companies, I improve companies and I sell companies.  

I believe that the best form of charity is job-creation.  It makes me happy to be able to help others make a good living while maintaining their dignity and self-respect.  People choose to associate with me on that basis.

The Purpose of this Blog

I started my first company as a homeless, LGBT orphan on the streets of New York and I have been striving ever since.  In this blog I will document (in broad strokes) my steps so that you can do what I do.

By seeing my process and the results of that process you can decide whether you are willing to do what it takes to arrive at your own goals.  Hopefully, you will find something of value here, whether or not you agree with my methods or the way I convey them.

Now a word from Felix Dennis:

"What is the first question asked by strangers of each other?  It's 'What do you do?'

In some cultures, the way of answering may be different; but nearly always relates to work: 'I'm a teacher; I'm in banking; I'm a dairy farmer; I'm an administrator; I'm a sound engineer.'  Our job defines us.

But it cannot define you.  Not any more.  You are a wild pig rooting for truffles.  You are a weasel about to rip the throat out of a rabbit.  You are an entrepreneur.  You are going to be rich, and you don't much care, within the law, how you are going to do it."

Now the Point

I will end each post with a single sentence that sums up what I think is important in that post.  I will look to post at least once a week.

Today's point is:

The central tenet of the entrepreneurial journey is knowing yourself and deciding what kind of entrepreneur you are.

See next week's post: What is Entrepreneurialism?

And remember, you can determine the nature of a tree by looking at its fruit.

I salute you.

-RLA