ENTREPRENEUR? YOU SURE?*
Throw away all the romantic origin stories you have heard about Great ideas and companies.
Research extensively and read lots of accurate biographies. Read articles and lots of different books. You will be delivered from your "pie in the sky" fairytale desires.
The kind of hard work, networking, PURE LUCK, privilege, bias unexplained grave and what nots involved will make you born again in your mind. Look, you are probably not going to experience a Eureka moment and come up with the next multi billion dollar company. You will go through thousands of half baked and ridiculous ideas and so many roadblocks to make your head spin and ache.
It is going to take sweat, grit, blockheadedness, perseverance, giving up and coming back up, getting depressed and even suicidal, experiencing deep pain and hopelessness, sleeping scared and having nightmares and so many other things most successful people or their close cousins, motivational speakers, won't tell you.
I have nothing against motivational speaking or speakers. I would like to think I am one myself. However, I wish we would do more work with research and tell the real and exact things people did to become successful not just the stuff that makes for nice sound bite.
Unfortunately most successful people too do not actually know EXACTLY why or how they got successful. This is because most people do not journal or record their journeys. In only looking retrospectively, successful people are more likely to focus on the feel good and tangible parts. Since they can't teach Luck, privilege, bias and other things that are very important parts of their success, they list popular principles and techniques that can make for good media.
Does that mean we shouldn't read these books or watch these videos? Not at all. In fact, it is because of these books that others are able to replicate their successes and learn from their experiences. All I am saying is that, the books are not the all in all of the matter. They are a very important part of preparing for our own opportunities but lots of the intangibles can only be found by actually Doing.
See it this way. The books are the software, taking action is adding the hardware. One without the other is incomplete. If you don't like reading, you will just extend the length of time you will suffer and hit your head against walls. On the other hand of you just read books and don't do the work itself, you will keep going round and round getting frustrated and annoyed with yourself.
So what should you do?
Read the books, take the inspiration and do the work. Pay your dues with your sweat and dirt. You are going to have to endure tough times, depression, pain, failure and lots of stress and long periods of stagnation.
I just wrote this to let you know that, the stress is not because you are on the wrong path, it is because you are actually on the right path.
Entrepreneurship is not a fantasy and a fair tale but without entrepreneurs, the world would have probably ended by now. It is hard and dirty work. I won't sugarcoat it. However the rewards can be very great too. It is a calling and not just an option. If you are called into being one, stay the course. Keep the faith and grind. You are in good company.
If not, don't come and kill yourself. Polish your CV and go get a good job. There is nothing wrong with being a successful and fulfilled employee. Don't let anyone deceive you.
Life is lived once, make sure you are doing what you want to do and not what others say you should do. Kudos to all the yound entrepreneurs who grind it out everyday in this country and continent. You are the real Honorable, Excellencies, Celebrities and Role models. You rock.
~Dr. Samuel Tinagyei
Optometrist, Author and Entrepreneur.
