Entrepreneurship is not for everybody. You don’t have to be an entrepreneur. But many have chosen it as their career path and have never stopped sharing their amazing stories with the rest of the world.
Most people start businesses because they really want to pursue their passion. Passion is overrated but is a fundamental requirement to be a great entrepreneur. You don’t have to start a business just because you are passionate about an idea. It takes more than passion. But if you don’t have the zeal that will get you through rough patches and keep you interested long after the initial enthusiasm has faded, you will most likely give up.
But if you do have the bug to experience freedom and still generate income, entrepreneurship can lead to an amazing life. I have friends who are comfortable in routine, unchallenging jobs and it baffles the shit out of me. I don’t understand how they can be so unambitious with life.
But then I get past that because some people like their financial security and can’t get out of their comfort zone. People get too comfortable with the familiar, and too threatened by the unfamiliar.
No matter how many awesome posts or even books they read about becoming entrepreneurs, the idea of pursuing their dreams don’t fascinate them.
You know you can do something better.
You have the right to defy expert knowledge and challenge things as they have always been. How dare you settle for normal when you can be remarkable. Do something the world will actually notice. Choose yourself and make an amazing impact in your own way.
This quote by Steve Jobs has had the biggest impact on my life. Human evolution and development has been made possible because of people who are probably not smarter than you.
“When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family life, have fun, save a little money. That’s a very limited life.
Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is – everything around you that you call life, was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.
The minute that you understand that you can poke life and actually something will, you know if you push in, something will pop out the other side, that you can change it, you can mold it. That’s maybe the most important thing. It’s to shake off this erroneous notion that life is there and you’re just gonna live in it, versus embrace it, change it, improve it, make your mark upon it.
I think that’s very important and however you learn that, once you learn it, you’ll want to change life and make it better, cause it’s kind of messed up, in a lot of ways. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”
When I’m solving problems, thinking about ideas and solutions, irrespective of who I work for, I feel empowered to make an impact- but pouring all that energy into achieving someone else’s reward feels like pouring it into a void. I’d rather be fuelling my own goals, dreams and ultimate vision in life. Not much comes close to that kind of satisfaction.
Being an entrepreneur is simply a key that unlocks your personal opportunity door. It opens your world to a career outside the box and most importantly defined by you, allowing for work in several of your passions.
What you DO matters more than what you think or say or plan.
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. You can achieve anything as long as you’re willing to be consumed with enough desire, purpose, and intensity. Action begets outcome. Outcome begets even more action. Rinse, lather, repeat and you have momentum. Start, move, make, create, do. That’s what entrepreneurs do. They start. They start something. Sometimes it is something big. Sometimes it is a big failure. Either way, they got stuff done.
Everyday is an opportunity to make a difference in your own small way.
If you can’t be an entrepreneur, it’s okay. You can still make a creative impact. You can create. Don’t leave that decision to your superior. Don’t ask for permission to start something new. It doesn’t have to interfere with what you currently do. You can commit some time to what you love doing and see it grow to become your business. Choose yourself and do something today that your future self-will thank you for.
Related: This is an Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur
Fitting in is a failure.
Not standing out is the same as being invisible. Forget your weaknesses and focus on what you can do best. Do it, keep doing it, then keep doing it some more. It’s the only way to get great. Choose to be remarkable.
Don’t wait to be chosen!
The world is changing..fast. Jobs are disappearing. Everything we aspired to for “security,” everything we thought was “safe,” no longer is. New tools and economic forces have emerged to make it possible for you to put a dent in your world from wherever you are. It’s human instinct to wait to get chosen. To seek out permission and authority. Once you realise that you have all the tools and all the permission you need, then opportunities to contribute abound.
Choose yourself today.
It has never been easier to decide to be responsible for your own work, for your own agenda, for the change you make in the world. No one is going to choose you. The outcome is still in doubt, but it’s clear that waiting just doesn’t pay. Part of being our best selves is having the guts to look closely at what scares us, what disappoints us, what threatens us. By looking closely we have a chance to make that all important change when it matters.
It’s fascinating but entrepreneurship is hard.
Don’t get me wrong. It take a lot of courage to. Entrepreneurship is not a sprint. It can be ridiculously expensive to have employees and run a business. Don’t forget about the health care, employment taxes, paid holidays and vacation, non-billable downtime, rent, utilities, unemployment insurance, workers comp, legal and accounting services, marketing,software and equipment, plus… all that same stuff for sales, billing, admin, and other essential support staff. And you will be the one bearing an enormous amount of risk. But every successful entrepreneur you know today started with nothing and built upon small successes. You can be a lifestyle entrepreneur in the beginning and move on as you grow and get experience.
Here is a piece I wrote for the Entrepreneur Magazine you may also find useful: 5 Reasons You Might Fail to Become Your Very Best
