Why did you become an entrepreneur?
I’m curious to know…
I’ve told a lot of stories over the years about why I left my 6-figure corporate gig for the highs and lows of being my own boss.
The stories have gone from wanting to be available for my kids, to not feeling inspired to continue being a corporate communicator, to the flexibility to work when I want to work, to wanting creative freedom to pursue any idea that popped into my head, to not loving authority.
All of these stories are true. They were true when I quit and they are true now, years later.
But that’s not why I made the leap. Why I chose to give up a great salary, benefits, a corporate ladder I was already partway up, and the security of knowing I had company-matching stock options and a healthy pension when I retired 30 + years later.
The REAL reason I became an entrepreneur is because I had to.
I had a deep, burning desire inside of me that was begging me to pay attention to it. It was telling me, over and over and over again that I could do more, have more and BE more, and that anything less than that was settling. Not reaching my potential.
I have always known, since I was a small child, that I was meant to do great things. You may laugh at that, or call me conceited, but it’s the unvarnished truth.
I am a striver by nature. I am always looking for ways to grow, to learn and to become more of myself. I am never happy with status quo and I resist any attempt to just tow the line and do what’s expected.
I bet you relate.
I know this about you. I hear you say that you so badly wish for success but are terrified of failing….yourselves.
Strivers never settle. And we rarely cut ourselves a break.
We are on our quest to become the very best of who we already are. To understand ourselves deeply and to find the brilliance within that will act as a magnet to the people we are moved to serve.
When you’re always seeking…always striving…always looking…it’s easy to miss what is right here in front of you. What you already have that matters.
If you’re feeling the pull of your own potential – calling you forth to be more than you are right now, lean in and try these strategies:
- Listen – what are the voices inside your head telling you? If they are self-sabatoging, notice them and make a decision to replace them with more self-serving thoughts
- Don’t panic – as strivers, it’s easy to panic worrying that we haven’t reached our full potential (be it financial, emotional or whatever). Breathe deep and remember that you are on the path right now.
- Focus your energy – wanting more and wanting to BE more can send even the most disciplined striver into creative spin. Pick 1-3 top priorities to harness that excellence.
- Go Deep – on the quest for self-actualization and business success, it’s easy to go from one bright-shiny object to another. Resist the temptation and give your ideas the attention and dedication they deserve.
- Test & ReTest – Try, tweak, revise, start over, scrap, whatever it takes to step more into yourself and your business. Fail epically and then try the next thing.
- Look in the mirror – stop looking outside yourself for genius. It’s right there inside you. Your business fortune is made up of your innermost strengths, gifts, passions and talents – the ones you overlook in search of something beyond yourself.
- Learn & Grow – Never. stop. learning.
As you build your powerful and profitable brand, acknowledge that voice that nags at you to ‘realize your potential already!’ and simply remember that you are already doing it – right now.
Your road to greatness is never linear. It’s never easy. It’s never without question and doubt.
But greatness is available to you.
You’re already on the path.
