Our arts, our occupations, our marriages, our religion, we have not chosen, but society has chosen for us. We are parlour soldiers. We shun the rugged battle of fate, where strength is born. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Next to Resistance, rational thought is the artist or entrepreneurs worst enemy. Bad things happen when we employ rational thought, because rational thought comes from the ego. Instead, we want to work from the Self, that is, from instinct and intuition, from the unconscious.
A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman. Its only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny hearts, who doubt and overthink and hesitate.” – Steven Pressfield, Do the Work
The idea of “being realistic” holds all of us back. From starting a business or quitting a job to dating someone who may not be our type or moving to a new place – getting “real” often means putting your dreams on hold.
Today, let’s take a step away from rational thought and dare to be bold. What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to accomplish but have been afraid to pursue? Write it down. Also write down the obstacles in your way of reaching your goal. Finally, write down a tangible plan to overcome each obstacle.
The only thing left is to, you know, actually go make it happen. What are you waiting for?
(Author: Matt Cheuvront)
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I think there’s always been a part of me that wanted to work for myself.
When I was very young, when I thought about being a grown up, I often thought about being alone. I never imagined a future with kids, a house, and a husband. I always saw myself being this career-driven, motivated person. My job would be what my focus was. I would own what I did. I can remember being about 12 years old and thinking about a career in culinary arts. I loved cooking (still do) and wanted to become a chef. I would open my own restaurant. I would create things that I only saw on the Food Network. That’s what I thought about when I imagined my future.
Fast forward to age 15. Now I wanted to be a journalist. I was going to go to NYU and live in the city and be one of those sophisticated women who sip on martinis and pull their ponytails back just a little too tight. That was going to be me. I didn’t picture a boyfriend or a husband. I pictured a small apartment, a cat, and a career where I would just write what I wanted. I didn’t think about editors or deadlines. All I thought about was seeing my name in that byline.
I almost became a journalist. Almost. After a few advisement meetings, I shifted my focus in college to advertising and public relations instead of journalism. It turned out being the perfect fit for me. I love it. I get this rush and thrill when I get the chance to help someone communicate. So, I decided to pursue communications as a career. I’m working in the industry as both a SEO Manager and as a freelance writer, but I know that I won’t be in these roles forever. Sure, I want to get my feet wet doing something new and put in my years of experience in a more traditional setting, but one day, I want to go back to what I imagined when I was young. I want to be my own boss.
I want to own every piece of work I produce. Doing what, I still don’t know, but I can tell you one thing: working for myself will be the greatest challenge and greatest reward of my life. In my heart, I know that I will work for myself one day – but I’ve created a mess of obstacles that I need to overcome.
My Obstacles & Solutions
- Fear of change. Adventurous as I may be, I don’t like change, especially when it comes to my environment. To move past this, I need to take a step outside my comfort zone and embrace change. I need to remember that change can be exciting instead of nauseating.
- Fear of failure. Failing at something is not an option for me. I hate acknowledging failure and the idea that I would have to own every ounce of that failure by starting a business petrifies me – but I’m working on this. I’m preparing myself mentally and emotionally at the possibility of failure. I’m learning that failure can teach me quite a bit, so failing isn’t always a bad thing.
- Intimidation. I have tough competition and when I look at their work, I’ll always be comparing it to my own. Is this a good thing? I don’t know. Is it keeping me from doing something? Sometimes. Should it keep me from doing it? Never.
- Confidence. When it comes to my abilities, I know that I lack the confidence to say, “Yes – I’m excellent at this.” Right now, I’m thinking it’s just because of my age and my lack of years in the industry. I doubt myself constantly and need reassurance. But one day, I’ll move past that – or at least keep it from becoming an obstacle that stalls me doing what I love.
- What will people think? Growing up, I was always worried about what others thought. As I got older, part of that drifted away. But now that I’m out of college, I’m noticing some of that fear and worry creep back into my life. Will people think I’m a joke? Will they respect my work? Will they think that I even know what the hell I’m doing? I need to remember to tell the rest of the world to go pound sand. I’m me and that’s that.
- Figuring out exactly what I want to do. I love marketing, copywriting, social media, public relations, advertising, movies, theater, cooking, baking…if I could do it all and get a paycheck for it, I would. Finding my focus will be a challenge. I’ll have to try and fail. I’ll have to explore and push limits. It’ll be a tiring experience, but a worthwhile one.
- Diving in. Right now, I’m dipping my toes in the water by taking on freelance work when it comes my way. The more work I get, the more I know I’ll feel scared. Making the transition into full time business will be difficult, but when the time is right, it’s a move I’m willing to make. I think willingness is half the battle – but I’m not at that point yet. I’m hanging on to the security of a steady salary, PTO time, and a 401K. When the time comes for me to make the choice, I’ll be tempted to stay with what’s safe when I know living on the edge may be the best thing for me.
- Focusing on the logistics. I know that in order to take the plunge, I need to have a better plan and a clear understanding of how to run a business. I’ve got a good framework, but I need to build on it by educating myself and putting what I’ve learned into motion.
But besides these things, I think it’s also important for me to remember that my imagined future is never going to be exactly as I pictured it and that’s OK. In reality, it’s even better.
Now, my focus on the future has changed a bit. Maybe not changed, but it’s less black and white. Now, when I think about my future, I imagine myself still being my own boss – but with a committed partner.