Miles Long, 52, from San Francisco, has a number of successful businesses in the entertainment industry, including acting, photography, filmography, and music. Determined not to be pigeonholed into one sector, he’s always strived to teach himself and learn new skills on the job, which have then enabled him to branch off into other avenues.The entrepreneur, who now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, likens this mentality to surfing, saying that most of the time if you look at surfers in action you’ll only ever see one or two people really searching for the next break in the ocean, ready to pounce.
Anyone else in the water is normally just watching them, too scared to take the risk and ride the waves. Miles believes that in business and in life, you want to be the one that’s surfing, not just sitting and watching someone else’s successes. And finding something that you’re passionate about is one of the keys to becoming successful.
This is something Miles believes you’ll know instantly, because you’ll wake up before your alarm in the morning excited to start the day.Thinking again about the surfing analogy, Miles says that finding the confidence to try something already means you’re halfway there.
Too many people get scared of doing things they haven’t done before but if you never try it you’ll never know if you like it.If it doesn’t work out, it’s fine, brush yourself off and carry on. All it really means is that you can cross it off your list.
For instance, when he moved into a job that required him to shoot photos and box covers, he had never picked up a still camera before.However, he realised by doing so that he had a huge passion for photography that turned into a career itself doing ad campaigns.
If you do want to change careers, or start something new on the side, Miles insists it’s down to you to make it happen.No one else is going to point out a market or business trend emerging in your current market space. Look for it, grab it and start planning for a way to make it work for you.
You are not a bystander in your own life. You are in charge – go ride the waves.
To learn more about Miles visit his Instagram page, @mileslong4real.
