Why We Work So Hard  | Ep. #613

In episode #613, Eric and Neil explain why they work so hard. Tune in to hear why they spend so much time working and whether it is worth it.

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

  • [00:27] Today’s Topic: Why We Work So Hard
  • [00:43] Neil says he works so hard because he loves what he does and he also has nothing better to do.
  • [00:50] He loves it so much it doesn’t feel like work for him.
  • [01:01] Eric loves playing games and finds that marketing is a fun game for him (in terms of strategizing).
  • [01:58] He is addicting to winning.
  • [02:30] One of Neil’s partners said marketing is like a drug.
  • [03:03] Eric sees systems of processes and finds them to be like puzzle pieces.
  • [03:35] Business is a game that never ends.
  • [04:01] Though Neil clearly grew up an Upper-Middle Class kid, he still had aspirations of being “rich” and privileged.
  • [04:12] Eventually, he realized money doesn’t equate to happiness, but the challenges of the job were satisfying.
  • [04:38] Figure out what your motivation is and once you find that, keep pushing forward. If you don’t love what you do, don’t do it!
  • [05:32] Eric believes that when you work all the time, you get to meet a wide array of interesting people, which is beneficial and it evens out all the hours worked.
  • [06:04] That’s it for today!
  • [06:07] Go to Singlegrain.com/Giveway for a special marketing tool giveaway!

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The post Why We Work So Hard  | Ep. #613 appeared first on Marketing School Podcast.

Full Transcript of The Episode

Announcer: Get ready for your daily dose of marketing strategies and tactics from entrepreneurs with the gile and experience to help you find success in any marketing capacity. You're listening to Marketing School with your instructors, Neil Patel and Eric Siu.

Eric Siu: Welcome to another episode of Marketing School. I'm Eric Siu.

Neil Patel: I'm Neil Patel.

Eric Siu: Today, we're going to talk about why we work so hard. I was walking up here, and I think I was thinking about this a couple days ago, too. I was just thinking, why do we work so hard? Why does Neil work so hard? Why do a bunch of people I know work so hard? I'm curious, Neil. Why do you work so hard? What drives you?

Neil Patel: Because I love what I do, and I have nothing else better to do in this world.

Eric Siu: That's honest.

Neil Patel: Being honest, I love marketing. I love it so much. It's not work for me. It's life, and I think for you, as well, right?

Eric Siu: To me, it's a game. Coming from a gaming background, I was just always wondering, I worked so hard playing games growing up, I studied so hard, I trained so hard, and I'm just like, "Man, if I could just apply this to the world of business, like, that would be great." I literally couldn't find, I'm just spinning my wheels. I kept going from game to game, whether it's World of Warcraft, EverQuest, Counter-Strike, poker, as well. I just kept moving around, and I couldn't find it, until I finally found marketing. I wake up and it feels like a game because I'm able to do different tools or try different tools. I'm able to build different kinds of businesses, too, able to meet great people. I feel like I'm playing a game, honestly, every single day, and I think it's the same thing for Neil.

Neil Patel: It really is a game, and what's funny about this is things like Google Analytics, although it's a vanity metric on if you get more traffic or less traffic, and all that really matters is how many conversions and sales that you're getting, but it's such a game. I got to beat all my competitors. I'm going to crush [MAZ 00:01:50]. I want to crush SEM Rush. I want to beat HubSpot. I don't care if people have more money than me. I don't care if they've been doing it longer. I don't care if they have a bigger team. I'm just addicted and winning, and I love what I'm doing, and I love helping people. When people email me back, being like, "Hey, Neil, I've been following your marketing advice for years. I implemented this in my bed and breakfast. My husband left me. I'm supporting my son. He now doesn't have to work on Home Depot, and he can go to college now, which was his dream, all because your marketing tactics help me get more bookings for my bed and breakfast." That kind of stuff energizes me, and it keeps pushing me forward.

Eric Siu: It might sound like we're kind of BSing when we say that, but I remember actually one of Neil's partners with Crazy Egg. We were talking a couple years ago, and I said, "What do you get out of all this?" He said, "Honestly, it's like a drug," and it is like a drug because when people, when we get those kinds of emails where people are like, "Well, you know, we just got our first job and we didn't have any education at all," or, "I just got a raise," or, "We just got more equity in the company," whatever, that's what drives us. That's like a drug, that feeling.
Then, also, just getting to compete, too. Just getting to see things grow, being able to compete, being able to win at the same time, and being able to ... The other thing is I see systems. When I'm building a business, for example, I'm building processes for hiring, using certain tools, where are we going to put the office. These are all puzzle pieces that you all figure out, and once you accomplish those, you move on to the next set of problems, which is new problems. You get to graduate. You get to level up. There's always going to be problems. Doesn't matter if you're a billionaire, whatever you are exactly, richest man in the world. There's always going to be new problems to solve. You see Bill Gates out there still solving problems. You see Richard Branson still solving problems. You're just playing a different game at each level, and I Just want to keep climbing, and that's what Neil does.

Neil Patel: Business is a game that never ends. When I first started, I worked really hard because I grew up with very little money, and we weren't poor. My first job was at Knott's Berry Farm picking up trash and cleaning restrooms, but my parents did all right. Combined, they were making six figures a year, so life wasn't too bad. They bought their home for cheap enough, and my parents could afford things, like to pay for my college tuition, so, again, we weren't really struggling, but I didn't have that fancy life, and I dreamed that, of a kid, and when I was dreaming that, I was working so hard so I could get that.
Eventually, I realized it's all bullshit, and it doesn't matter. Those things don't make you happy, but that's why I started working hard. Eventually, I worked even harder because I loved what I was doing, the people I was working with, I got addicted to it, I loved helping others and seeing the responses when people's businesses were growing, and what you'll find is throughout your whole life cycle or your entrepreneur journey or your work cycle, whatever it may be, you'll work hard for different reasons, and you got to figure out what's motivating you, and what motivated you five years ago or ten years ago may be different than what can motivate you now. You just have to find that. Once you find that, just keep pushing forward.
If you don't want to work hard because you don't love what you're doing, then quit. Go do something else.

Eric Siu: It's fine. Neil and I are not saying you need to work as hard as ... Well, I think we work all the time. You don't need to work all the time like we do, but if your goal is to just kind of relax, 9:00 to 5:00, you're making a good salary, let's say 40, 50 grand a year, that's totally fine. That's what makes you happy.
To Neil's point, when you're first starting out, in the very beginning, when you're young, you just want to make a lot of money, but you're going to ask yourself eventually, why do you want to make that money? Then, once you get to a certain point, you're going to realize, God, it's just fun and that it's all about how you add value to other people and it's about paying it forward, and then it's not about the money anymore. It's just about what you could do with the maximum ability that you have with the time that you're given.
The final thing I'll add is, yes, Neil's completely right. We have nothing better to do, but what happens is when you work all the time, you get to meet a great set of people. Neil and I love working together. We know a bunch of a people.

Neil Patel: Yeah, we're friends, and that's a cool thing, too. We work hard. A lot of the people that we're surrounded with are friends of ours, and they think very similarly, and we enjoy hanging out with each other.

Eric Siu: Then you get to do fun things, too. That's kind of a byproduct, but it's not about buying a Lamborghini or whatever or living in a big mansion. It's just about what you enjoy, and Neil and I both happen to like it. That's why we work so hard. This is really for all the people out there that ask why we work so hard.
Before we go, go check out our marketing goodies. Get the marketing goodies at SingleGrain.com/giveaway.

Announcer: This session of Marketing School has come to a close. Be sure to subscribe for more daily marketing strategies and tactics to help you find the success you've always dreamed of. Don't forget to rate and review so we can continue to bring you the best daily content possible. We'll see you in class tomorrow right here on Marketing School.

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