Our planet is filled with successful people; people who are basking in their glory, living the life that many cannot even dream of. The successful lot comprises of intellects, entertainment providers and businessmen. Actually, these successful lots comprises of entrepreneurs, which by definition means people who exercise initiative by organizing a venture to take a benefit of an opportunity. The small phrase, ‘taking benefit of an opportunity’ is all it takes, to turn a ‘nobody’ to ‘somebody’.
It is rightly said that every single person on this planet has the same potential. They are all born with the same instincts. It is just at the advent of a ‘situation’ that different people use this potential differently. It is the application of these hidden potentials by an individual that separates the 1% from the rest of the population. Knowing one’s potential is an achievement. Harboring the same for financial independence is eternal bliss. Blessed are those who earn for what they love to do.
In an interview, Jack Ma gave a very thought provoking idea about how entrepreneurs are developed, not born. People with no industrial backing and people born without a silver spoon have all pursued the common path of hustling, thinking out of the box, taking the path less travelled and standing tall in spite of all the beatings. Jack Ma also conceived a very interesting notion about harboring the dream of an entrepreneur for people of different ages.
People at the age of 20, should focus on being intuitive students. They should be aware, curious and at the same time energetic for anything and everything that comes across them. Before the age of 30, people should follow someone who is perceived successful. Try to land a job in a small company, because that is where people actually work on innovation; that is where they will learn the importance of working with passion. In a big company, it is beneficial to learn the functioning of a company, but they end up being just a small part of the company. It is advisable to work in a small company where you end up doing a lot of things at one time and hence learn a lot of things in less time. Ultimately, it all comes down to who your boss is not which company you work for.
By the age of 40, it is time to start doing that one thing in which you are really good at. People make the mistake of hopping on to a new bandwagon just because the perspectives are promising. These people end up joining the ‘been there, done that’ club. It is very essential that before attaining the age of 40, one should be indispensible in at least one thing they have worked in. One should make all the mistakes till the age of 40. Learn all the lessons from those mistakes, because after 40, it is time to make things right for you.
By the age of 50, it is finally time to start investing. The best piece of advice would be to invest in the younger lot. It would have already dawn upon you that the youth are faster, smarter and capable of things that you might take another 50 years to learn. The younger lot should be looking for smart investors and the older lot should be looking for smart investments.
Whatever the age group one may belong to; the one important aspect to keep in mind is perseverance. It is essential to keep the belief alive that sooner or later success will arrive and when it does, your energy should shift to the next big success.
With a passionate goal and a learning attitude, entrepreneurs never lose. They either win or learn. They take action when others are procrastinating. They live a few years of their lives in a way that no one would and live the rest of their lives in a way that no one could. Understanding, that failure is an essential part of the human nature, should come as a major ego boost. All the successful people were once scorned for their failures. They were outcast for the decisions they took. However, once the pursuit of success bears fruit, they are remembered for their achievement.
Luck hardly comes into play in success, but hard work always pays off. As Steve Jobs famously once said, “You cannot connect the dots, looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” Knowing that your hard work has paid off is the greatest satisfaction. All it takes is guts. It takes guts to be ‘somebody’ from ‘nobody’. It takes guts to follow your heart. It takes guts to travel the path less travelled. It takes guts to sacrifice today for a better tomorrow.
Believing in God is being religious. Believing in self is the first step to being an entrepreneur. So, rephrasing my first line, our planet will be filled with successful people if they start believing in themselves.
Entrepreneurship: An Expedition From Nobody to Somebody
