You’re Allowed to Break the Mold
If you want to change your life
Remember those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books? At different parts of the story, they would give you two options. Follow Option 1, and you continued up the hill and found your way out of the dark forest. Follow option 2, and you ended up in a cave where you got eaten by a scary monster.
Yeah, I had nightmares from those books.
Hopefully, none of the paths you choose in life will result in you being devoured by Sasquatch, but every choice you make affects the next outcome in your life.
The standard counsel has been to get good grades, then a bachelor’s degree, master’s, doctorate, each equaling better jobs, salaries, etc.
However, more and more people are diverting from the long-promoted path of a college degree= good job. A study by the Peterson Institute For International Economics, reported that in 2020 the number of people starting their own business increased 24% -the largest number in history. That translates to a jump from 3.5 million in 2019 to 4.4 million in 2020.
It sounds exciting and sexy to call yourself an entrepreneur. You’re proclaiming that you were brave enough to strike out on your own and buck the system. But for a lot of people, the initial leap is difficult. It’s not exciting or sexy to give up the security of a stable job, (even though that idea is an illusion), and to take on the realization that the buck stops with you now. There’s no one higher up that can handle problems, the responsibility is on you.
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.”
— Dolly Parton
Two big obstacles that hold people back
Fear
You’re afraid you might fail. Well yeah, you might. You probably won’t succeed in every single thing you try in life. But if you don’t try, you don’t have a chance of succeeding.
You can alleviate some of the fear aspect with preparation. If possible, start building up the work you want to get into on the side of your regular job. Get educated on all the things you will need to do to run your own business. You don’t want to be caught off guard by things like bookkeeping, taxes, expenses, legalities. Don’t go into it blindly.
Save up as much money as you can before quitting your day job. Having a cushion of cash will make you a lot less nervous and keep you from running your new business out of desperation.
Self-doubt
Lack of confidence is a dream killer. It whispers defeatist thoughts into your mind.
- You’re not good enough
- You don’t know enough
- Nobody else will think you’re good enough
Did you ever take music lessons? Say your instrument was the piano. You sat down on the bench for the first time, touched your fingers to the keys, and played Hungarian Rhapsody, right?
Wrong!
It takes years of practice to be able to play at that skill level. When you’re starting something new, there’s always a learning curve. Allow for the fact that you will make mistakes. You will get better with time and experience. Learn as you go, get advice from people that have been successful with their businesses. Keep improving yourself and your product. A quality product will be your greatest asset.
Both of the obstacles above are feelings. Feelings can be changed. Don’t let them keep you from trying something different. Different can be scary. It can also be rewarding. You might end up creating your dream job.
You’re not limited to Option 1 or 2. If you see a third or fourth option, you can choose one of those. It’s ok to go off the beaten path and start beating a new one. Instead of a monster in a cave, you might stumble upon a gold mine.
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