Your 2ndChance at a First Impression: July 2016

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost and Will Smith might seem like strange philosophical bedfellows but the essence of their message is the same. EVERY entrepreneur knows this message and shares this sentiment with this excerpt from Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening and the quote from Will. To succeed you must sacrifice.

As an entrepreneur we sacrifice family time, vacations, financial security, MONEY, time, our sanity and lot and lots of sleep. At this point in my journey as an entrepreneur even in my most frustrating moments I CAN'T GO BACK. This means that my options are now limited. I essentially succeed or die.

That death is not necessarily literal...but do you remember. Do you remember someone else being in charge of your day? Do you remember the dumb assignments that you were given? Do you remember the stupid conversations that you had to be a part of? Do you remember all of that hard work for "acceptable" pay but no real ownership in the success of that company? Do you remember office politics? Do you remember all of the reasons that you pulled the plug, or are thinking about pulling the plug, on your cushy gig?

So, now going back after having lived even momentarily in the space of freedom - yes, there is fear - but now you can not remove the taste of freedom from your tastebuds. To return to the confines of someone else telling you whether or not you can take your daughter on her field trip or your mother to her doctor's appointment....well it's like death isn't it. It's a death to your spirit.

So, this is why we jointly sacrifice knowing that a wonderful reward awaits us. Some of us entrepreneurs might never be millionaires. Some of us entrepreneurs may never do a TED Talk. BUT you can be there for your family. In my case I can run errands for my mother, even the stupid ones. I can be there for a friend whose car has broken down. I can attend the conference at my church August 1st and not have to fight about the time off. I CAN...and so can you.

Always remember why you do what you do. Enjoy the benefits of being your own boss. While we might not sleep. While me may stress. In the end we have the greatest boss in the world although mine is an arduous taskmaster :). Life has never been this good, so enjoy.