I don't often write articles with lists, but this one just begged to be written. This past week, I've been thinking a lot about why I do what I do. It...
I don't often write articles with lists, but this one just begged to be written. This past week, I've been thinking a lot about why I do what I do. It can feel elusive. What's so fun, energizing, and amazing about it, that I just keep being called back to it?
It's the starting point for everything, that Big Why. To keep returning to it is a great practice. It grounds you, and helps you stay aligned with your Big Why as you make decisions every day.
Being an entrepreneur is a big part of my Big Why. And it's not just me. Almost every entrepreneur of any duration I've ever talked to jokes about never being able to return to the job market.
So, here's the list - from my experience and from others who are similarly committed to this entrepreneurial life. Maybe this list will help you commit, or re-commit, to being an entrepreneur too:
10. Choice. Choose your business, what you work on every day, your offerings, your team, your clients, all of it.
9. Lifestyle. You can decide when and where you work. You can decide whether to make time to pick up the kids, or attend to a family member. You can work as much or as little as suits your life right now.
8. Money. There. I said it. You can make a lot of money as an entrepreneur. However, money is dependent on value. When you offer value, when you help enough people get what they want, you get what you want, to paraphrase Zig Ziglar. Money, though, is just a tool. A tool to help you do the work that you are meant to do in the world.
It's also a tool to allow you to experience the next great thing about being an entrepreneur:
7. Freedom. The entrepreneurial freedom ride is exhilarating. Out of the many possibilities out there, you get to define the one that speaks to you. And you get to do that over and over again.
6. Self-responsibility. This one maybe doesn't sound so appealing at first. What it is, though, is another aspect of freedom. You have the response-ability to respond any way you choose to a situation, and the flexibility to do so.
5. Creativity. You get to think up stuff all the time. Offerings, marketing, how you deal with your clients and your team. Even your business systems benefit from your creative approach.
4. People. Being an entrepreneur means working with amazing people. Your clients. Your team. Other entrepreneurs. People in the community that you influence through your work. They're all part of your world, and you get to connect with them in your own unique way.
3. Learning. There's always something new to learn as an entrepreneur. Knowledge, skills. It's an ever-expanding world, and you get to be a part of it.
2. Growth. Whether it's building your courage or confidence, your own business is a great way to stretch you. It tests your limits continually. And you can choose (see #10) whether to answer the call. The growth-oriented life is always dynamic, and energizing.
1. Service. Being an entrepreneur allows you effect change in the world. You have impact. You make a real difference in people's lives. You can serve in a way that is aligned with you, with your values. This form of service to your clients and through them, to the larger world, is an authentic expression of who you are and what you believe.
Being an entrepreneur is one of the best paths I know to become the big You that you came here to be. Is it your path?
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