Work is a huge part of our lives. It should be something that we enjoy and jump out of bed excited about. If this is not the case for you, then maybe this is the year to start making some changes.
My wife and I often feel like the luckiest people in the world. We get to serve others by doing what we love. Every day isn’t easy and it’s taken a lot of creativity and hard work but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”
– Buddha
I know that a lot of you reading this want to start a business this year. Heck, some of you may even want to grow it to the point where you can decide to walk away from your day job.
This was me back in 2012.
I wanted to quit my job so bad.
Which brings me to the rest of this post. This is for you, aspiring business owner person who wants to do big things but has no idea where to start.
3 SIMPLE STEPS for Every Aspiring Entrepreneur
Step 1: Give yourself permission.
What if the only thing holding you back from experiencing the life and building the business of your dreams is yourself?
Give this a try. Turn to your husband, your wife, your daughter, your brother, your dog, whoever is on the cover of People Magazine and say this:
“Hey there, I have a business.”
Yep, that’s it.
It’s that simple.
You don’t need an LLC. You don’t need a lawyer. You don’t a business plan. You don’t even need a website.
Step one is giving yourself permission.
No one but you can define the scope of what’s possible and no one but you can dare to believe that you can make it happen.
So many people are reluctant to follow their ideas and listen to their inner guidance. So please, starting today, give yourself permission to be the proud owner of a new business.
Step 2: Start thinking in terms of conducting micro-experiments.
In other words, start taking imperfect action. A lot of people wait for a perfect idea, a perfect site or a bunch of other “perfect” things to materialize and waiting for that perfection will keep you waiting for a really long time.
Doesn’t it make a whole lot more sense to just start somewhere? Doesn’t it make sense to have fun testing micro versions of your ideas instead of investing a bunch of time and money into creating something big without knowing if it will succeed or not?
Conducting smart business experiments and making an imperfect start puts you way ahead of most people out there who spend their time just saying that they will have a business soon.
There are no RIGHT ways to do things. You can have some guidelines. You can have a timeline but ultimately, perfection is pretty impossible, especially in the beginning.
I am officially almost 2 years in and I haven’t reached perfection yet. On anything. And I work my ass off.
So, make your start. Make it now. Not in February. Now!
In my new program, Work Freedom Roadmap, I am taking a dozen or so people through a 6-week journey of taking simple steps each week to clarify their career vision, explore ideas that excite them and begin moving towards a future that doesn’t include endless hours of sitting in a fluorescently-lighted cubicle taking orders to do things so boring they want to cry.
Step 3: Stop. Making. Excuses.
This is for all of you. Listen, friends. Your kids will always be there. Someone will always be sick. You will never have all the money in the bank right away.
And you know what?
If you keep putting off your dream of creating your own work freedom, when do you really think you’ll get around to making it a priority?
I put off my dream of starting a business for way too long. When things weren’t going the right way, I’d tell myself that I needed to wait until the situation was better.
The truth is that there is no perfect time to start a business. In almost every situation I can imagine, it’s always better to start now.
Business is an experiment. It’s about momentum. You do one thing and it doesn’t work so you shift, switch, change and grow. You adapt and keep going.
You decide that enough is enough.
Life is damn short!
And you know that it’s time to step out of the shadows and into the light.
No more judgment.
No more shame.
No more excuses.
All in.
It’s about creating something bigger. Something mesmerizing. Something beautiful. It’s about reconnecting with what’s really important.
It’s also about getting the ideas out of your head. And into the world.
For the good of everyone.
It’s about making it real. Instead of just thinking about it.
It’s time to start small, think big, and take action.
Now over to you! I want to hear in the comments! What is one thing you are going to do THIS WEEK to get out of “idea” mode and bring something into reality? I actually have something that might help.
Live bravely,
Michael
