Start Somewhere

You know the saying ‘March winds lead to April showers which bring May flowers?’ Well it seems the April showers have decided to return, which I am pleasantly enjoying. A few months ago I downloaded the audiobook version of Quitter by Jon Acuff and these soft rain showers have given me the chance to stay inside and listen to it while working around the home. Don’t you just love it when you can do two things at once? My entrepreneurial spirit sure does! Another thing I would love is to find a business idea that I am passionate about and start it. So Acuff’s chapter “Remove the ‘I’m’ from Your ‘But'” really spoke to me and I hope it speaks to you too! I would love to hear some of your answers to his questions below!

1.) What do I love enough to do for free?

• That’s a cliché you here in guidance counselors offices in high school- but it’s no less true. What would you do even if no one paid you for it? I blogged for 2 years and didn’t make a dime- but it didn’t matter, I loved doing it.

2.) What do I do that causes time to feel different?

• When you really get engaged in your ‘something’ space & time seem to shift a little. You’ll sit down to do a little writing before dinner and the next time you look up it’s 10 you never ate. Time shifts when you are doing what you love. Has that ever happened? And if so, what were you doing?

3.) What do I enjoy doing regardless of the opinions of other people?

• Your dream can’t be powered by opinion or affirmation. It has to be bigger then the feedback of a peer or a coworker.  What would you do even if no one told you they loved it.

4.) If only your life changed, would that be enough?

• If you killed yourself for years and at the end of the experience the only life that had changed was your own, would that be rewarding enough? If the experience was the lesson and the journey itself was the reward, would that be okay with you? Is there something that holds that sway for you?

5.) Are there any patterns in the things you like doing?

• If you’ve got a dream, chances are there is not just one isolated hinge moment in your past. More than likely you have a list of moments that are similar and related. What patterns can you see in the decisions you have made and the experiences you have loved?

Ask yourself those questions. Love yourself enough to actually write down your answers. And when you do, show them to someone you trust. Sometimes we are so close to the painting, we can’t tell what it is and we need someone else to point out the truth.