One simple but huge thing I'm learning as I try to take entrepreneurship seriously
is that it's not about an audience,
clients,
or even an offer--
it's about ME.
How I handle myself,
manage my behaviors,
witness my patterns...
It all demonstrates who I choose to be in this life
and reflects back at me
like a big middle finger in the mirror.
The things that were easy for me back in school
like waking up to an alarm
or making sure I hit deadlines
or doing what the coach tells me--
Ain't so easy now, 15 years later
after "discovering" freedom.
Yet entrepreneurship makes me recognize that
while freedom may start with "I do what I want"
it soon transforms into "I do what I must"
even if it sucks
because true freedom is exercising the ultimate choice
which is always bigger than me
and my petty desires
and habits.
Perhaps becoming a father has played an important role in this realization
(recognizing that it's not about me anymore)
but learning to build a business around myself
from the ground up
has lead me to seeing just how much work on myself
is required
to kick ass.
And while in my case
that ass may remain unkicked,
it's when the foot is in the air
mid-arch
good trajectory
and all that's left is the follow-through,
those last few seconds before impact
are when the engrained behaviors
and thought cycles
really come out to play.
I feel so close to kicking ass, it's not even funny.
Thus far I've dedicated time in this life
to meet myself through:
- my body
- plants & nature
- relationships
but this entrepreneur thing is a brand new beast
equally powerful & capable
of revealing what's behind the shadow.
So all I want to say is... treat it with respect!
It's a sure path to something deep,
even if it's not at all what we imagined.
And for that reason,
I wonder if, as we witness the rise of the creator economy,
the "next generation"
(or Gen Z, millenials, whatever the hell we call people these days)
will see entrepreneurship as a spiritual path
because it's not just about business
or content
it's about learning to kick ass!
and that's a holistic journey on all levels,
no matter how you spin it.
