I’ve had a very interesting couple of days. I asked this survey question on a couple of my social media sites and got some remarkable answers. One person told me she wouldn’t tell me, I had to figure it out for myself. Another told me now one cared about how or why someone else started their business, but the rest (and I got a LOT of answers) were very thoughtful, creative responses. The interesting part, however, was that the answers I got were not what I was anticipating.
All the coaches out there cry out that they will help you make more money, find more time to spend doing the things you want to do, and show you how to have less stress. But as a business owner myself, while those are great things to want, they are not things you’re going to get — at least not for a while. What people seem to really want is to be able to share their passion with others that have the same dreams and goals. They want to be able to guide their own destiny and support their families with their own hands and structures.
Money and time for doing things they love to do were there too of course. You can’t protect family and destiny without being able to pay the bills. Yet, for each of those that answered my questions, those things were not the driving force. In fact, a good paying job provides the money they need to live, the time off for vacations, etc. (generally speaking), and a bit of security. When you go out on your own, your stress levels go higher, your destiny becomes much less secure (at least in the beginning and I argue that even with success comes insecurity at times), and the amount of time and money to provide for your family is less than with a job. Those are NOT the things that cause someone to go out on their own and start their own dreams.
If you’re still reading this, take a minute and stop and think about what really got you started in your own business? Why are you putting yourself into the wild and crazy world of being your own boss? And what does success mean to you? Is it making a million dollars? Two months vacation? What?
Now, I have a bit of homework for you. I want you to go on a bit of a time travel adventure. Picture your life 5 years from now and write an essay telling me what a day in your life looks like. Be specific, down to what time do you get up in the morning, and go to bed at night. Do you have pets? What do you eat? What are you working on and what gets you going. Don’t give me vague definitions, but define in very clear words how you want your life to be 5 years from today. That will really tell you a lot.
Running a business is a lot of work, and it can be hard work. But it is necessary. And unless you understand, in your own core, what the costs are, what the reason is for doing what you’re doing, then you’re never going to reach that level of success you described above. If you take the time to do this (don’t take a long time to think about it first, but do it off the cuff), I think you’ll be amazed and appreciative of what you’ll find out.
And if this intrigues you, and you’d like to work more in-depth on these ideas, then come on over to my website and join us in the MEGA group where we’ll be deep diving into these and many other issues throughout the next few months. Check it out at Business Success Unlimited. I hope to see you there.
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