I have had some successes in my life,
and I have had some spectacular failures…but all of my experiences have brought me to this point in my development. I have learned to stop rehashing the past, regretting poor decisions, and wishing I could have taken another path. Instead, I try to focus on the experience I gained and the lessons that I learned.
Likewise, I try not to obsess about the future. I expect great things, and I work every day to become the person who can achieve them. Because I have cultivated this state of expectancy, I am unafraid to try new things, or take risks. I have found that fear of an event is often worse than the actual event.
It is good to study and prepare when undertaking a new venture, but it is also possible to over-prepare. You can only learn so much from hypothetical situations. I have always gotten the best results by diving in and learning as I go. I gave myself permission to suck, permission to make mistakes. By removing the pressure to excel from the beginning, I also reduce the fear of starting. I can then put my full effort into learning and improving using real-world feedback.
I have always heard that I should follow my passions. This was confusing to me early on because I was unsure what I was passionate about. I knew that I needed an income to live, first and foremost. I thought that passions had to be a secondary consideration. It turns out I have the capability to become passionate about many things. If I am interested in something, I can become passionate about it. This opens up unlimited avenues.
Start Small
Rather than betting the farm on a new endeavor, I like to start small and see how it goes. It doesn’t take long to discover if an idea is viable (and by viable, I mean profitable) or enjoyable. If I don’t find a business or job enjoyable, I am unlikely to develop the passion it takes to be successful.
The biggest validation for an idea is profit. If people purchase your product or engage your services, consistently, then you have something of value. I have been caught many times believing in something that no one wants. Don’t make the mistake of falling in love with your own creations; let the market determine your efforts. There is a fine line between persistence and just beating your head against a brick wall.
If you can move from failure to failure without losing faith in yourself, you will find the magic alignment of opportunity, passion, and success. It is not ok to just get by, to stay where you are because it’s safe. I strive to do things that excite me, that make me jump out of bed every morning with enthusiasm.
If you have an idea or enthusiasm for something that you aren’t currently engaged in, you owe it to yourself to give it a chance. It might not work out, but it might be huge. Don’t put it off because you don’t have enough time or money. Those are excuses. When you come to the end of your life, you won’t remember why you didn’t do something. You will only remember that you didn’t do something.
Ready-Or-Not, Set, GO!
Don’t wait for the stars to align, or for your children to get older, or until you save some money. Get started today. Carve out a little time to dedicate to your passion. Buy some business cards. Identify the first step and take it. Launch yourself into the deep end and learn to swim. Ready-or-not, set, GO!
If you need a little inspiration, this is an amazing book (Amazon Affiliate link):
The $100 Startup; Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau.