"I was recently part of a business incubation program: CTEP (Caribbean Tech Entrepreneurship Program), and it seemed like life was going my way for a change. Prior to that I had felt a great sense of stagnation. It was like I was working hard but staying in the same place (swimming in quick sand). That feeling would soon return when I got news that my team had lost in the final round of the first stage.
It was tough to digest…
The long aching hours, rush to get in assignments, and basically pulling strings.I’m really tired of a 9–5 job and for me this business seemed like an escape route. but...
It seemed like I was working for nothing,
spinning my wheels,
jumping down a rabbit hole,
running a rat race.
Don’t get me wrong..I hear so many people starting businesses because they want more freedom but the difference with me is, I know just how hard running a business is, and how demanding it can get, but everything is hard: a 9–5 is hard, running a successful business is hard. But If I had to choose my hard, buddy, I’d take a business and reap the rewards.
I was able to produce some really good work without a pc, or even the internet sometimes but it appeared that my participation was done…until I changed my perspective.
Instead of sitting around and sobbing over this loss, I decided that I was going to revisit the Idea and go on the offense CTEP or not. Whilst going through my pitch deck, I realized what my mistakes were: the idea was good but it wasn’t great. Then I asked myself why am I even doing this again.
Does this fit in with my vision for my life and my mission?
I was able to come back to my center and ground myself and then I asked myself a different question. Instead of asking what’s wrong with this idea, I asked myself what’s different. Is it a need?…A real need..Then I thought to myself "My mission is facilitate the growth and freedom of people. Maybe I have the wrong approach. Maybe I’ve been thinking to small". Up until then I’ve been brainstorming on ways to build a business around that mission but I always thought about it on a small scale(a personal development level). I began to see how small I was thinking. Instead of a singular person, I started thinking about humanity and what it needs for its growth and freedom. All of a sudden I was introduced to a whole new world of issues and challenges.
The moral is that failure is never final. It should be welcomed because it pinpoints gaps in your development in whatever area you are seeking success in. Change your perspective, change your life. All you need is a tiny shift in perspective to get introduced to a brand new world of things. BTW the new path I’m going to choose will be introduced soon!