One topic that is discussed often in the world of social entrepreneurs is what to choose for the social challenge that you want to focus on with your business profits. Some people end up switching the social challenge that they want to focus on because they find something else that they are more passionate about and that is perfectly fine (at least in my book)!
I changed my course in life and business so many times and I have no regrets for that because each new day has brought so many new challenges and blessings. So, don't be scared to take a chance on something new!
Do I Have to Change the Whole World?
Many entrepreneurs think that they have to change the entire world in one day with their business. They get so overwhelmed and depressed if they can't achieve their aim and they give up. The business is forgotten about and they rejoin the rat race even though they aren't passionate about the work or want to be there. I have seen this happen so many times!
But, the thing is that you can choose whatever inspires you and whatever you are passionate about. I have a friend that chooses to feed the homeless and at risk families in our local area through his restaurant business. It is a small, family run operation that he has absolutely no intention of growing beyond the locations that he has now because he wants it to always have a "family owned and operated" feel to it. He has been approached more than once about possibly franchising his brand but he has no desire to do so. And that makes him happy!
Every night, he takes the leftovers from his restaurant and brings it out to families that are struggling to feed themselves and their children. He has hosted huge Thanksgiving dinners totally free of charge and Easter Egg Hunts for the entire community. When asked the reason for his passion to give back to his community, he will tell you that he grew up here and he grew up poor in a bad neighborhood where many kids don't make it past their 18th birthday because the streets are too hard.
Is he changing the entire world? No, he isn't.
But, for the families that he has helped, he has changed their entire life and showed them that people in the world are generally good and do care about them. He shows kids that it is possible to grow up and achieve their dreams while giving back to the community. And those children go to bed at night with full bellies so their parents have one less thing to worry about.
If you want the truth, this man is my hero and I tell him often. He provides for his family like many men can't or don't want to. And he worships God and sticks to his beliefs every day of his life. He honors the parents that raised him and the woman that has given him children every chance he gets. And he is one the hardest working people I know. But, more importantly, he has found what he is passionate about and doesn't let anything stand in his way.
What It Feels Like to Be Homeless
I had mentioned before in previous posts that I have been homeless. I have actually been homeless twice in my life and it is NOT a good feeling. It is the worst feeling that I have ever had, so I can relate to how others feel that find themselves in the same situation.
The first time I was homeless was as a teenager. My biological mother is a certifiable nightmare that no one really wants to be around for long periods of time because she is mentally unstable and refuses to seek professional help. I was kicked out of the house at 14 and didn't have anywhere to go at the time.
I found myself couch surfing at my friends houses when their parents would let me stay there and under a bridge when I didn't have anywhere to stay. I would shower at the school in the girls locker room before school started because the janitor was nice enough to open the door for me before he started work for the day.
I dated men that could offer me a place to stay or a ride to school in the morning because I felt that I didn't have any other alternative. At the time, I really didn't have an alternative.
As an adult, I had gotten married and then divorced when he cheated on me. He took the house and most of our possessions in the divorce so I found myself with nowhere to stay again. The business that I built while we were together was dissolved and I was too depressed to fight him for anything or try to rebuild it. I stayed in a cheap hotel with my two dogs because I didn't have the money or the credit to get my own place at the time. I was trying to save money from the sale of the business assets because I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life at that point in my life.
I have since built myself back up and I am so grateful for the wonderful opportunities that I have had in my life and the answered prayers after feeling like I have hit rock bottom. After you hit rock bottom, there's nowhere to go but up, right? That's what they say... or so I hear.
Experiences In Life Make Us Who We Are
I chose to create a business that helps promote self-suffiency and uses profits to support services for homeless families based upon my newfound zeal for life.
We should all use our life experiences to define our passions in life and let it mold us into the people that we were meant to be.
You don't have to save the entire world, so choose a purpose that means the most to you no matter the size of the cause. There are those that choose to provide the entire world with clean drinking water but there are others that choose to feed deserving families right in their own backyard.
Neither cause is more important than the other because both causes are changing lives.
All that matters is that both entrepreneurs are passionate about helping others and have started businesses that can give back in a way that matters.
What do you think about pursuing a cause that you are passionate about? What is your passion and what do you see yourself doing to follow that passion? I would love to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for reading!
