How I Found the Courage to Start

Lately, I have been pondering about sharing my journey in entrepreneurship with our readers. To provide the most value and give it the proper analysis it merits, I feel breaking the topic into several shorter, more focused posts would be most suitable. So today, I want to share with you how I found the courage to start.

There are a lot of things that I am passionate about but not qualified to talk about with authority —Astronomy, Economics, Psychology, Philosophy, to name a few. 

Like most of us, I have not taken the time and dedication necessary, nor have I practiced them enough, to grasp their depth and complexities beyond having them as hobbies. 

I have, however, co-founded and built my own company and have a wealth of knowledge and experience on entrepreneurship, networking, and self-development I have acquired over the years. 

Starting Tools

Before we start, I want to share the only steps you need to follow to start a business. 

Are you ready? Here we go.

• Find an activity you can engage in that feels exciting and has the potential to leave you with a net positive in terms of revenue and fulfillment.
• Do that.
• Profit.

Wait, that is a gross oversimplification of all the intricacies and hurdles one has to go over to build a business in this day and age, right?

Well, yes. 

There are innumerable challenges beyond just your capacities and circumstances that can get in the way. You might have responsibilities to others that get in the way or limitations that are beyond your control. 

But you are missing the point.

The complexities and challenges that an entrepreneur has to deal with will seem overwhelming and intimidating —it certainly did to me— mostly because they are unknown. Nevertheless, that doesn’t have to stay that way.

There are countless tests and trials that aspiring entrepreneurs face in their journey. However, lack of experience and preparation for these hurdles is not a deficiency but a quirk of the journey itself. Uncertainty and discomfort are features of entrepreneurship, not bugs.

What is the point, then?

Well, to start.

Perspective is Key

Our perspective fools us into seeing what is not there, not seeing what is, and filling the gaps in between with our flawed imagination. 

I know I spent a lot of time living in the uncertain future. 

I was frozen into hesitancy and indecision by my overactive imagination fabricating doomsday scenarios and tragedies yet to come. My creativity for fabricating excuses and justifications not to start was boundless.

“I’m just not prepared enough.” 

“I am too busy.“

“If I can’t succeed or be the number one in this or that, then what is the point.“

These might seem like genuine, paramount concerns that you must address before doing anything. But in my experience, these concerns never go away. 

I wasn’t feeling serene and completely confident when I put my resignation at my last job and confronted the reality of an uncertain life for the foreseeable future. 

I had doubts and hesitation.

Nevertheless, I went through despite them and committed to facing whatever the future brings. 

I knew that the only way to clear the doubts and figure out how other people succeed is to do it myself and start.

Courage to start

People seem to believe that only those with a business degree or extraordinary intellect can create a successful business. That they alone have permission to engage. 

But the truth is, you don’t need anybody’s license or accreditation to start.

Those who embark on this journey have nothing special beyond the understanding that doing something daring and new is essential for growth and learning.

Understanding that to discover the path and overcome the hurdles ahead, you must start by doing is one of the most important lessons I have learned over the last five years.

Experimentation is the most versatile tool for learning, and failure is just a lesson, not a statement of your identity.

Having the courage to start will allow you to be where you need to be for things to happen.

If you need some further reading in building the courage you need to start your journey and what makes people “gritty,” check out Angela Duckworth’s book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.

In the next post, I will address the idea that you have to be completely prepared and have all the answers before starting.

Additionally, I will discuss the notion that if you are not succeeding at the highest level and be the best, then there is no point.

Let us know your thoughts and experiences starting something or embarking on a new challenge. We would love to hear from you.

See you in the next one.

Cover photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash