Wills would tell you that his biggest challenges when it came to starting his company would be overcoming the fear of actually getting started. He says in today’s environment if you have a phone and some cash, you can start a business. “I mean there is literally a kid on youtube who makes 30 million a year reviewing toys… He just opens them up and plays with them. Opportunities are endless in this digital economy.” He wants you to fulfill your dreams without worrying about the obstacles that come with it like it’s normal and happens to everyone. Everyone has struggled in their life, it’s what you do about it that makes or breaks your vision.
Wills says that his most painful failure in life was during his senior year of high school when he missed weight for the state wrestling tournament.
“I was heartbroken, my junior year I had placed second in the state at 145lbs. In my senior year, I was predicted to win it all and be the state champion. My downfall was that I gained 10 pounds during my senior year. It was much harder for me to maintain my weight the entire season. I could have wrestled at 152 lbs like I had all season, but for some crazy reason, I wanted to go 145 lbs. My coach told me to go 152 lbs because I had beaten all the top competition in the state at that weight. At the time though, I was dead set on dropping the weight and going 145 to compete against a kid who I’d been wanting to wrestle all year. Against the advice of my coach, I didn’t listen and submitted my weight at 145 lbs. I ended up struggling to make weight each time and my performance suffered greatly. I ended up missing weight on the last day of sectionals and my season was cut short. I had missed my opportunity to become a state champ.”
The lesson Wills learned from this was to listen to others around you and drop the ego.
“You need to be willing to listen to other people, especially your partners, friends, and coaches. They will often tell it how it is and try to help prevent you from making a decision that isn’t in your best interest. Regret is a powerful emotion, so make sure you take into consideration all the information and perspectives as you can so you avoid this painful emotion.” Wills said.
Besides that first big downfall, Wills also struggled with addiction after his dad passed away. He also struggled with living up to his father’s footsteps after taking the company over and felt that he would never live up to his expectations. He’s since recovered and has become the best leader that he could be and his father would be very proud of him.
Him overcoming these obstacles of addiction and failure is his biggest success. He struggled, but has moved past that and is now thriving as a person and so is his business. He wasted too much time doubting himself and indulging in dangerous behavior and now uses his precious time wisely. He thanks his strong mindset for getting him this far. He knew what he wanted and how he was going to do it and followed a well thought out routine to bring him to the top. He continues reading as a way to continue learning. We all have downfalls, but we also have the chance to pick ourselves back up and that’s what Wills encourages each and every one of us to do in life. Never give up.
To keep up with Wills and his journey, follow him @thedevinwills
