I’ve always had an interest in entrepreneurship.
Not from the stance of trying to build the biggest company in the world and crush the competition. Or even from the stance of trying to IPO a company and retire at 35.
I’ve figured out my interest lie in researching and experimenting with ways to make life more meaningful and sharing those with others. I doubt I will ever “retire” because I’m naturally drawn to this topic and don’t need external motivation such as money or status.
With that said, I still haven’t actually made a single dollar from my interests and if I would like to do them full time, I need to try some things out.
To better understand some of the mechanism that have hung me up, I wrote them down. Here they are:
False Starts
There are no shortage of tools that I’ve found to help me stay productive and consistent, but tools only work if you use them. I generally get motived for a few weeks and make some progress, but then the progress starts to slow. I usually then jump to a different tool, only to come back to the same tool several weeks later.
Second Guessing Goals
I’ve set a fair number of ambitious goals only to get into the weeds and second guess if it is the best way to spend my time. It’s obviously going to be hard work to achieve the goal and I start doubting whether it is what I actually want or not.
Overwhelmed by Choice
The world is an interesting place! I want to study yoga and meditation, no wait karate seems cool, oooh what about tai chi, that’d be dope! And that’s not even the beginning of the intellectual pursuits I’m interested in. There’s just way too many cool things to choose from and since I’m looking for common themes across disciplines, it’s VERY hard to stay focused on one topic.
Deciding Between Money and Passion
Occasionally, something like digital marketing, bookkeeping or doing taxes will cross my radar. All of those are very useful and in demand. But does it make sense putting time and energy into building a business in one of those? After all, I’d only do those to have the flexibility and time to pursue things I’m more passionate about. The problem is, the things I’m passionate about will take a long time to make any income off of.
Playing the Long Game
Things take time to build. When you plant a fruit tree, it takes years before it yields any fruit and all that time you must tend to it and keep it alive. That’s the same with business. You have to be patient and defer gratification. I spend a lot of time writing for this blog, yet I know only a handful of people read it. But I am grateful for the few that do and I know if I keep improving in my writing, more people will be interested in what I have to say.
The Devil You Know Is Better Than the Devil You Don’t
Somedays I think to myself “Man, I don’t like my job.” But when it comes time to put myself out there, I find myself pushing it off down the road. I rationalize it by telling myself I’m not ready yet. But when will I be? The best way to learn the lessons is by jumping right in and dealing with them.
If you’re in the same boat as me, I’m sure you can relate to a few of these things. Whether it’s lack of focus, or fear of failure, we’re all at where we’re at for a reason.
In the end, I know if I keep at this I will succeed! And all the hard work and years of trying will make the victory even more sweet. I’m sure in retrospect the path will seem so much clearer than it does today. But as of today, I’m still at the foot of the mountain looking up!