By Jesus de la Garza

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After facilitating over 700 workshops globally and spending decades coaching entrepreneurs through their most challenging transitions, I’ve discovered that the advice that transforms businesses often contradicts conventional wisdom.

The most successful entrepreneurs I work with don’t follow the typical playbook. They’ve learned to embrace philosophies that might seem backward to those racing toward the next milestone. Yet these counterintuitive approaches consistently produce sustainable success.

Here are five philosophies that have emerged from thousands of hours working with high-performing leaders across continents.

1. Solitude Is Your Competitive Advantage

Most leadership advice pushes connection, networking, and constant availability. But I’ve found that the entrepreneurs who build lasting enterprises prioritize solitude—not abandonment, but designed time alone.

Every morning at 4 a.m., I wake naturally. No alarm. In that silence, while the world sleeps, my best ideas emerge. This isn’t meditation or journaling—it’s simply being alone with my thoughts when my brain is rested and free from the day’s demands.

One client struggled with this concept. He believed being a good leader meant being constantly available to his team. But after implementing scheduled solitude—just 30 minutes twice daily—his decision-making improved dramatically. Why? Because in silence, we can finally hear what matters.

Many people confuse solitude with loneliness. They’re opposites. Loneliness is imposed; solitude is chosen. When you design time alone into your day, you create space for the insights that get drowned out by the noise of constant interaction.

2. Be Like Water, Not Like Stone

Traditional business thinking celebrates unwavering determination—be the rock, stay the course, never bend. But after years of studying both Eastern philosophy and Western business practices, I’ve learned that water, not stone, provides the better model.

Water adapts to any container while maintaining its essence. It can be vapor, liquid, or ice, yet it’s always water. With patience and consistency, water carved the Grand Canyon. Stone, despite its apparent strength, eventually cracks under pressure.

I learned this lesson personally during my divorce years ago. I was trying to be stone—rigid, unchanging, forcing my business to continue as if nothing had happened. The result? I lost significant money in my cattle business because I couldn’t adapt to my new reality.

Now I tell clients: when you feel overwhelmed, imagine yourself as water. A problem is approaching? Let it pass through you like a whale shark—massive and intimidating, but ultimately harmless if you don’t resist. This isn’t about being weak; it’s about choosing the right state for each situation.

3. Your Purpose Must Be Bigger Than Your Problems

Every morning, I remind myself: “I want to change the world.” This isn’t grandiose thinking—it’s practical psychology. When your purpose is bigger than your immediate obstacles, problems shrink to their actual size.

I conduct two daily checks—midday and evening. Not to review tasks, but to assess whether my actions align with my purpose. Am I letting imaginary monsters dictate my decisions? Am I so focused on immediate challenges that I’ve forgotten why I’m here?

One client came to me overwhelmed by operational issues. Every day brought new fires to extinguish. We implemented a simple practice: start each meeting by stating the company’s purpose. Not reading a mission statement from the wall, but actively declaring why they exist. Within months, his team began solving problems independently because they had a clear reference point for decisions.

When confusion arrives—and it always does—return to your core values. In moments of chaos, embrace one value completely until clarity returns. Your purpose isn’t something you achieve; it’s something you practice daily.

4. Study Everything, Master Nothing

Conventional wisdom says to find your niche and dominate it. But the entrepreneurs who adapt fastest are those who study broadly rather than deeply. They’re curious about everything, expert in nothing.

I study constantly—not just business, but philosophy, psychology, literature. Currently, I’m exploring Taoism, before that it was the Stoics, before that Spinoza. This isn’t intellectual wandering; it’s strategic preparation. When you study diversely, you develop mental flexibility that specialized expertise can’t provide.

The beauty of modern learning is its accessibility. You don’t need formal classrooms. Audiobooks, YouTube, online masterclasses—knowledge surrounds us. The key is maintaining beginner’s mind, what the Japanese call “shoshin.” Every subject offers insights applicable to business if you’re open to connections.

My notebooks—yes, physical notebooks, not software—contain ideas from morning reflections to evening observations. This analog approach forces me to slow down, to process rather than just consume. In a world obsessed with digital optimization, sometimes the most powerful tool is a pen.

5. Clean Living Creates Clear Thinking

While others chase productivity hacks and performance drugs, I’ve discovered that sustainable success comes from radical simplicity in daily habits. This isn’t about perfection; it’s about removing obstacles to clear thinking.

I fast 16-20 hours daily, sometimes 48 hours quarterly. No caffeine. No red meat. No processed foods. This isn’t martyrdom—it’s practicality. When your body isn’t fighting what you’ve consumed, your mind gains remarkable clarity.

The young entrepreneurs I mentor often struggle with this. Their hormones push them to act, to push, to force outcomes. But wisdom lies in balancing that drive with reflection. I tell them: imagine a fire hose spraying the street, expecting grass to grow. Same pressure, wrong direction. Redirect that energy toward fertile ground.

These practices—fasting, clean eating, structured reflection—aren’t about living longer. They’re about thinking clearer today. When you remove physical distractions, mental clarity follows naturally.

The Path Forward

These philosophies work because they address root causes, not symptoms. They’re not quick fixes or growth hacks. They’re fundamental shifts in how you approach life and business.

Start small. Choose one philosophy that resonates. Perhaps it’s five minutes of morning solitude or a single question about purpose at your next meeting. Like water shaping stone, small consistent actions create profound change.

The entrepreneurs who thrive aren’t those who work hardest or longest. They’re those who create conditions for natural success—who understand that sometimes the most powerful action is reflection, the strongest position is flexibility, and the fastest path forward requires occasional stops.

After 26 years of watching businesses rise and fall, I’m convinced: sustainable success comes not from following conventional wisdom but from having the courage to embrace what actually works, even when it seems backward to those still running the race.

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Jesus de la Garza is an entrepreneur, consultant, and global public speaker. He is the founder of Monarch Leaders, a consulting firm specializing in working with organizations to build high performing teams that reach new heights. 

Jesús has been a member of Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) for 26 years, a global non-profit organization for entrepreneurs. He has facilitated over 1000 workshops with different groups around the world and has served on the EO Global Board of Directors.