Last Lecture--Entry 14

At the beginning of this journey, I knew things about myself, but through everything I learned new things about myself as well.  When you begin your own journey, first write down a list of your strengths and weaknesses in your character and personality.  This is something that I wish I had done a long time ago.  Find the strengths in some of your friends that compliment your weaknesses.  Where are they strong where you falter?  The companions on your journey through the entrepreneur life are the ones that can either lift you up when you are down or just drag you down further.  In the Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship that is created, all of them complement each other in some way.  Aragorn is humble to Boromir’s ego, Sam is trustworthy to Merry and Pippin’s mischievousness, Gandalf is wise to Frodo’s naiveté, and Legolas’s calmness to Gimli’s pompous nature.  You want to have companions that compliment your strengths and weaknesses.  Don’t forget that your spouse is your greatest companion.  You need to remember that they will always be there by your side through your joys in your journey, and your downs as well. 

One thing I really want to talk about is loving what you do.  I have seen so many people who are unhappy in their current careers that they don’t know where to go, and some don’t even know what they love because they have invested so much time and energy into something that they now realize that they don’t love.  When you get into the rut of not knowing what you love, you have to look back and remember what you used to love doing before your old career took over your life.  Just a little side note: If you let your career that you don’t love take over your life, you may have lost everything while doing so, your hobbies, your family, your friends, and since you realize that you don’t love this career anymore, your job.  Your entire life and the things and people you love in life are gone. 

But if you decide now that what you’re doing or about to do isn’t something you love, look at things you do love.  Will you still love in five years, ten, and twenty years?  Is this something you want to keep in your life, or will you plan on moving on to something else later?  Do you have the support behind pursuing what you love?  If you say yes to these, then you are at a good start to moving forward in an entrepreneurial journey. 

Loving what you do can be anything.  You can do anything and be anything you want to be when you do something you love.  You can change the world when you learn you do what you love.  Or if you don’t think it will change the world, you may just change one other person besides yourself.  You won’t know who that is, but you will see it when their eyes light up and the smile brightens the room.  You will realize you have changed their world even if you don’t think you have had an impact on the entire world. 

Something about doing what you love is go learn more about it.  You can say, “Hey, I love golfing.  Let’s start a golf club.”  Well, how long have you played?  Do you know instructors?  Do you golf by yourself or with others?  Do you belong to a club already and want to know more about running one?  If you just enjoy the game, don’t pursue it.  Just because you love something doesn’t mean it is your calling as a career choice.  I love movies, and would love to own a movie theater one day; however, right now I only enjoy going to the movie and watching them.  I am not ready for the business aspect of running a theater of my own.

One of my favorite pieces of advice for myself is always, “How does a child see it?”  I have three children, and they all have different perspectives on things than I do in life.  If you have children in your life, sit down with them, play with them, and talk with them about your future goals and journey.  You will get questions that you may have not considered the answers to when you do.  Humans by nature are curious.  Children by nature aren’t just curious, they are inquisitive.  They want to know the who, when, what, how and why of everything thing from how the grass grows to how to clouds form.  If you can begin seeing things from a child’s perspective, you will get answers to questions you may never have even thought of before.

In closing, I just want to say that these are the tools that have helped me the most.  I want you to remember that the people you have in your life will be the ones you will become most like and will either help you or hinder on your journey.  Doing what you love is crucial to loving what you do and enjoying your life to the fullest.  Finally, getting down on the ground with a child and seeing things as they do can help you find answers to questions you may have yourself, or even questions that need answers that you never thought of before.  You will gain a new perspective in your entrepreneurial journey as you do these things.  To quote Bilbo Baggins, “’It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,' he used to say. ’You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.”  And as Frodo had Sam, never get on that road without your perspective and goal clear, you love where you’re heading and your companion will go on this journey with you.