Jeff Lerner - "I Dropped Out Of School Because I Loved Learning". Ep. 88

From high school dropout to multimillionaire business owner, Jeff Lerner shares his incredible journey of resilience and failure, and how he has learned to embrace failure as a part of the entrepreneurial adventure. He discusses the importance of defining success as the progressive realization of a worthy ideal and living a life of fulfillment. Jeff also emphasizes the need to disconnect from the opinions and validation of others and focus on the bigger picture. He encourages entrepreneurs to keep striving and never give up on their calling.  He explains the ABCD model, which stands for activating event, belief, consequence, and disputation. Jeff emphasizes the importance of consciously deciding what an event means before reacting to it and offers strategies for challenging and changing beliefs. He also shares his personal journey of dropping out of high school and becoming a lifelong learner. Jeff discusses the importance of allowing children to experiment and find their own path without judgment and shares insights on parenting and personal transformation. He concludes by introducing Entre, a platform that combines business skills with personal growth to empower individuals to live an entrepreneurial adventure.

Takeaways

• Failure is a natural part of the entrepreneurial journey and should be embraced as a learning experience.
• Success should be defined as the progressive realization of a worthy ideal and living a life of fulfillment.
• Disconnecting from the opinions and validation of others is crucial for personal growth and resilience.
• Entrepreneurship is not limited to owning a business; it is a choice to live life as an adventure.
• The greatest failure is giving up on the idea of living a life of purpose and striving for personal growth. The Ellis paradigm (ABCD model) can help individuals operate from a place that is more rhetorically defensible.
• Consciously deciding what an event means before reacting to it is crucial for personal growth and behavior change.
• Allowing children to experiment and find their own path without judgment is essential for their self-determination.
• Entra is a platform that combines business skills with personal growth to empower individuals to live an entrepreneurial adventure.

Chapters
00:00
Introduction and Resilience

08:34
Defining Success and Failure

24:44
Introduction

32:48
Jeff's Personal Journey and Love for Learning

39:43
Empowering Children through Experimentation without Judgment

46:40
Entra: Combining Business Skills with Personal Growth

Keywords
resilience, failure, entrepreneurial adventure, success, fulfillment, opinions, validation, calling, Ellis paradigm, ABCD model, activating event, belief, consequence, disputation, personal growth, parenting, entrepreneurial adventure

Follow me on Instagram @ johnskomski for daily intrapreneurial motivation and learn more about Investing Inward at https://jskomski.com/

Music:
Hindsight (Instrumental) by Fivefold (used with written permission)
By Your Side by Caslow, Bertie Scott & Patfromlastyear (used with written permission)