“IF YOU ARE HAVING ‘9 TO 5’ PROBLEMS I DON’T FEEL BAD FOR YOU… I HAVE 99 PROBLEMS AND THAT AIN’T ONE…”
I decided on “Taking the Leap” just to see what I can do with the skills that I have worked so hard to develop. It was a choice and so far I do not regret making the choice. Sure – there have been times when I asked myself “Why am I doing this? – I must have been crazy…” – but the experience and the lessons learned have been worth it thus far.
When I was in the corporate world, I started feeling like I was losing – ME. I was feeling that I was becoming like every single person in the office – suit and tie, clean cut and drinking coffee. This was not because I wanted to but because it was engrained into me like I was a trained robot. I had lost my authenticity. I was not in control anymore, plus with too much “red tape” to get simple approvals that hindered productivity, I grew even more tired. So I decided I was done with the “9 to 5”.
TIME TO CONNECT WITH MY AUTHENTIC SELF
Authenticity helps to connect with others. Let’s face it – being an entrepreneur is not a lone wolf career. You have to get out of the office and talk to people and connect with them. Being authentic allows for better results with making pitches to strangers on the street for initial concept feedback on your idea. In addition to pitching to venture capitalists for little to huge sums of money.
I know first hand about the importance of being authentic – when I first started talking to people I was under the impression that I had to be similar to the personas that I saw on t.v. – like “shark tank” – hard and direct – withholding and not saying too much. However, that did not work for me. I got nowhere fast. My pitches were flat and my conversations with potential customers and surveyors generated no valuable information. I was sinking and could not figure out why until I noticed I was not being myself.
Authentic self; you have to be you and let people believe in what they are seeing. No one believed in John F. Kennedy until he found his “voice” until he became his authentic self.
So I changed up my approach and started incorporating my own personality into everything I did. I found my voice and noticed I was getting better responses. The magic was in seeing how people started to believe in what I was doing and could see a shared vision.
SUCCESS IS NOT GUARANTEED, BUT IF YOU ARE LEARNING YOU ARE HALF WAY THERE!
Hard work is the main ingredient of success or failure. However, learning is the most important aspect of it all. Learning must flow throughout the whole process of the journey of all entrepreneurial activities in every single activity and at every level. I am talking about building and creating something that is your own. So you have to learn and set the standard.
Everyday I am learning something new and executing something that I have learned. For example, I had the privilege to give the keynote address at one of the leading insurance companies in the state of Connecticut in honor of a Veteran’s Day. Prior to going on a stage I received a coin from a Command Sergeant Major that read “One Army, One Team, One Standard” – but it was not until days later I picked up coin and realized the significance of the motto. Despite my affiliation with the Army, I realized I am building ‘One Company, One Team, One Standard’ – so all of my activities should flow consistently with that motto. I learned that having a focal point, better yet – a core ideology at the start of building a company will help when advancing into uncertain futures. This is why I adopted – “One Company, One Team, One Standard”.
Taking the leap is filled with so many different emotions – AT FIRST. Then once you start to mature into the career, get focused and learn some things along the way – it becomes like any other career path. The best part about it is that you are more in control of the outcome than going to work because it is what you are suppose to do to “pay the bills”. I write mainly about entrepreneurship – well because that is the path that I am on – but taking the leap is not just about a career – it’s about ownership. What do you want to do? Right now – I took the leap – I jumped off the cliff and yes it was scary at first and at times fear does come back. However, I am having the time of my life and I am more excited, focused and more in control than ever before – so…
“IF YOU ARE HAVING ‘9 TO 5’ PROBLEMS I DON’T FEEL BAD FOR YOU… I HAVE 99 PROBLEMS AND THAT AIN’T ONE…”
