Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Craig and Nuevolution -- your posts really struck a cord.  You are right.  Most people do want all their ducks lined up in a row.  I wasn`t one of them so I left my job.  It was, as you noted, an impediment to my ability to go all out for what I wanted.  Countless people reminded me of how I hadn`t had all my ducks lined up and, at the time, I didn`t care.  I knew that I could only move forward by leaving my job cold turkey.  But a few months out of my job, the risk averse side of me grew stronger and I have been battling with this inner voice telling me to go back to working until I do have my ducks lined up.  But, hearing you guys talk about no regrets and succeeding on an empty stomach is really helping me get back into action and I thank you for that! 

But, now I would like to pose a related question as everyone here has been so incredibly generous with his/her advice.  I think we`d all agree that a healthy amount of skepticism is good.  Just today, I was looking at all the retail businesses around me and hearing that voice saying "wow, there is SO much competition" and I also observed how a number of stores had closed down after being in my neighborhood for only a short while.  I can`t help but feel discouraged.  Any advice on how to welcome the skepticism but also not to let it weigh me down?  I have found that it can really be a roadblock.

What you`re talking about has a relationship to the "bootstrapping" thread, and the difference between two fundamental styles of living. But it specifically relates to the underlying purpose of starting a business; our individual level of desire for independence; the growing trend in society toward a "victim mentality;" and the concept of passion versus simple wanting.

Skepticism is a philosophic form of analysis. It`s founded on objective logic, rather than an inarticulate feeling of doubt. To be skeptical is very different than simply to be doubtful. Skepticism provides an actual argument, based on reality. Doubt is just an inarticulate wonderment about nobody-knows-what but it feels important.

All my life I believed I should have some sort of secure way to make money before taking the risks associated with running my own business or desires. All my life I went the opposite way, being a contrary sort of person. I went into the music business because I knew that my own happiness was more valuable than a miserable life of towing the line for a paycheck.

And yet, I never wrote original material, never took the risk of putting my self on the line with something I personally created. I rationalized that playing lounges and cover material was still music, and "one of these days," I would really buckle down and write originals. It never happened.

One reason is that I`m not at all as facile with writing original music as I am writing original thinking in words. I didn`t know that, then, and assumed that because I could play good, I could also write good....musically that is, where grammar ain`t no big factor. :-)

All these years later, I`ve examined the basic approach to having a job, working for money, and how it relates to risk, incentive, and comfort. I`ve learned I had to do several things first, in order to let go of the fear of launching my own writing career. The result is that yes, I still get quite anxious. But that`s NOT the same thing as utter fear and the "paralysis" of panic!

The first is I had to take the time to understand that what I was intending to do was for ME...not for someone else! The money I wanted was just a symbol for validation and approval. I had to really analyze that intrinsic value of my intended product---in my case, writing. When I finally proved to myself, not to anyone else, that yes, the product had an objective value, that was step 1.

The next thing was to understand that although I`ve played music all my life, it`s been copy material. But even while I was doing the music, I always was writing, and most of that writing was different. It wasn`t typical, ordinary, and it always got a reaction of some sort. My favorite story is of how Frank Zappa chose to contract Alice Cooper to Zappa`s label.

Zappa went to see a Cooper concert in a 15,000 seat arena. Cooper came out and did a bit with a fake dead chicken. The entire audience got up and walked out. Zappa immediately contracted the band, saying that "Anyone who can empty a 15K hall in less than 15 minutes MUST have SOMEthing!" :-)

I saw that whether people hated or like what I wrote, then rarely just let it "sit" or go nowhere. On the other hand, lots of people would hear my band, leave, and a day later have no idea what we played!

For anything to succeed it must have an impact on the surrounding world! Even natural selection is founded on the impact relationship between the existing environment and the new modification. That impact can be happy validation and throngs of people rushing to buy. But it can also be a strong adversarial condition, "upsetting the status quo."

When I finally realized that I write because I have a life-long passion for writing, that`s when I also "let go" and accepted that my real passion is for defining things, analyzing unstated problems, and developing language to bring out problems and possible solutions. I`ve done it all my life, even when I was flat broke, freaked to the max about where my next meal would come from, and was near to living in the streets.

A passion is what you`ll do no matter what conditions you`re in. That`s not a formal definition, but it works as well. If you have that passion, and your decision is to make a living from it, NO amount of comfort and steady salary will prevent you from still working on that passion. Even if it`s way past "bed time," you`ll be driven to work on that passion.

Socrates had his "daemon," also known as a "genius," related to genie and muse. After I stopped equating income with validation, I stopped being concerned about competition. I don`t care anymore if what I`m writing is new, old, boring, exciting, valuable, or useless to others. It`s my passion. All that`s changed is that I`ve accepted that passion as having a higher value than pretty much any other thing or aspect in my life.

So too, there`s a difference between a passion for independence and freedom, versus a passion directed toward a specific idea. All of us yearn to be free, wealthy, and able to do whatever we want, whenever we want. But that`s a sort of "generic" yearning, not a passion.

Passion is where we hold an ideal as our highest value. (Love is where we hold something tangible as that highest value.) If you love a paycheck or security, you can still have a passion. But you first have to differentiate between the abstract idealism of the passion, and the concrete tangible nature of the love.

Garfield,

You started this thread nine days ago. I have one question for you.


Obviously there are many different backgrounds and philosophies of life represented in this community. My personal philosophy is "do what you can, where you are, with what you got." Those 11 words have taken me across continents, gotten me into businesses, and they continue to drive me. You`ve got to find your own philosophy and live by it.

Your answer to my question will tell us, but more importantly you, whether you will ever reach your goal of financial and personal independence. A life is just a whole bunch of "nine days" strung together. There`s an old saying "talk is cheap." Nothing will ever happen unless you act. I`m not saying planning isn`t important. It is. But even planning is action as long as it results in something getting done.

Are you any closer then you were nine days ago? What will your answer be nine days from now?




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Steve - Kirk Foods, LLC home of the Gluten Free Cookie Factory - To reach any significant goal, you must leave your comfort zone. - Hyrum W. Smith, Founder, Franklin Quest

To agree with the above poster, consistent action is absolutely crucial to succeeding in business. 

Another philosophy/moral I personally live my life by is that if you focus one eye on your goal, in this case financial independence, then you only have one eye to focus on the path to your goal.  You must focus on the path before you can achieve your goal.

I have some articles written that just might help you get thinking, even though they may not pertain to exactly your situation, but think of them what you will.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Online-Business:-All-or-Nothing&am p;id=324022

http://ezinearticles.com/?Consistency-is-Key&id=327600

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Online Home Business Opportunity Free E-Book and Online Business Tips Newsletter

Steve - while your question scares me, I know it’s a valid question and one that I need to hear!  Well, this may not sound like a lot but it’s a lot for me (given my previous paralysis).  I’ve started the search for a part-time job, posted some items on eBay, and also done some motivational reading.  I can say that I am definitely calmer about my situation than I was 9 days ago (thanks to everyone here). 

 

As for what I will do going forward… one of the big obstacles in my way is that I am not sure if I will need to re-locate next year.  As a result, it’s hard for me to decide what to sell and where.  Do I need to know the answers to these questions before I can really move forward or is there stuff I can do NOW without this information?  I would love to hear some opinions on what I can do that will carry over to any type of business I might have.  I’m talking nuts and bolts. I think it’s a good idea to post this as a new topic.  I hope you’ll respond!

And, by the way, congratulations on your win!

Steve hit the nail on the head, and it`s one of the most basic ways to overcome fear. Ask yourself, "What can I do in the next 20 minutes about this particular thing I`m scared of?"

You`ve asked about paralysis, which is a long-term inability to move, presumably based on never-ending fear. The second best habit to initiate is to say, "What 1 thing will I make today!?"

To "make" means to create from scratch. It can be making a dinner, but not heating up leftovers. It can be making a card for your kids or spouse, or making anything concrete--not making a decision.

Fear results from lack of certainty. Write down what you know for certain. You can get deep and philosophic, but since it`s a list you intend to use every day, focus it more on what you DO know.

You`re worried that you`ll fail, uncertain of your future, uncertain of your location, uncertain of a paycheck, uncertain, uncertain, and uncertain. Okay...so you`re looking for a way, on this thread, to "vote against" that uncertainty.

Instead, write a list of how to vote FOR certainty! Although it sounds sardonic, you can write on your list "I`m certain I will fail miserably, lose everything, and die a horrible death!" :-) Writing it down makes it "real." It helps you to "real-ize" and articulate your most fearsome demons.

When you look at what you`ve written in black and white, you begin two processes. You first start to analyze the fears, learning where they come from, and how they originated. Secondly, you apply some critical thinking (the antidote to fear), and examine the levels of plausibility in each fear.

Business is a formal method of action. It yields concrete products. Art yields abstract products, not easily visible to the senses. Hobbies provide action, but without many consequences (such as deadlines and payments). Since it`s a formal approach to action, and it also results in concrete products, "to make" something---anything at all---gets the juices flowing.

You can`t concentrate on making brownies from scratch and at the same time concentrate on being paralyzed and afraid. The two are mutually exclusive. Yes, it sounds like a makeshift, short-term "solution," but you`re looping on your paralysis---inability to act.

When you understand the nature of fear, the concept of certainty and it`s lack, and the relationship between action and creation, the next step is to act. You can`t go out and "make" a mess. That doesn`t create anything. To make something, no matter how simple, means to begin in a place that has nothing, and leave behind something.

You can`t "make plans" when you have no certainty about anything. So don`t think about (and worry) what will happen a year from now. Instead, think, "What will I make today!"

Hi, Craig. 

Thanks for reminding me of Steve`s 20-minute idea.  And I really like your "make something" idea.  I`ve already started implementing it into my daily life.  Like you said, it doesn`t even have to be business related -- it really gets me going!  Thank you!  Now, I want to keep up with the action mentality.  Do you have suggestions on what sort of actions I can take while the "what to sell" and "where" questions are on hold?  Again, thank you very much for all your help.  I truly appreciate it!!!

I`ve been paying a lot of attention lately to what I`m going to call "opportunism." It isn`t a formal set of principles, from what I know, and it`s very controversial in the traditional business realm.

Opportunism rests on a principle that there IS organization to the universe. Secondly, that organization is directly related to each of us in our own lives, and such things as the "law of attraction," luck, serendipity, coincidence, and so forth. These tend to be viewed as magical thinking by many people, but I`ll bring it into the mix for your consideration.

Stipulate the organization of existence, for a moment. From there, also stipulate that at some level you put energy fields into play around you in your daily life. We can be pretty sure that similar types of energy attract each other. So how can this be put into practical use?

Life is supposed to be fun! :-) It`s not supposed to be filled with pain, suffering, and misery! It`s not supposed to be constant fear, anxiety, stress, and panic. Anyone is free to say it IS supposed to be that way, but I don`t feel like living my life that way, so I disagree.

Why not use this concept of "fun" on a daily, hourly basis? Which would you rather do; spend the next hour freaking out about having no paycheck and the car payment due in a week? Or would you rather sit back and contemplate a single question: "What seems like the most fun Right This Moment?"

What actions can you take? Whichever ones feel to you like something fun to do! Want to go window-shopping, browse a flea market, rake leaves, play with the kids, build a treehouse, bake some brownies? Then do it!

The principle at work is that you have no idea at all what opportunities are in your close neighborhood of time and space. What you DO have is a feeling that something is fun, or "seems like a good idea at the time."

So suppose you decide to bake brownies. Then you discover you don`t have any chocolate squares (or a mix). You jump in the car and head to the store to buy supplies. At the store, you`re walking in from the parking lot and run into someone you haven`t seen in awhile. They ask what`s up, and you tell them you`re out of work, but you`ve decided to make some brownies. The conversation moves along, and it turns out your friend just ran into a friend of theirs who`s just lost an important employee and is freaking out about how to get YOUR skills.

Is it possible? Of course. Probable? Yes. Is it impossible? Yup. Improbable? That too! So which way do you want to live your life; assuming that nothing ever works out for you and you`re doomed? Or would you rather "believe" in opportunities and their capacity to increase the amount of fun in your life?

One thing for sure; if you`re in a miserable mood, forcing yourself to go to the store, you`ll have zero interest in looking around, noticing your old friend, or having anything but a monosyllabic mumbling humbug. On the other hand, if you`re having fun contemplating brownies, you`ll be optimistic, enthusiastic, and energetic. When you look UP, you can see that friend and notice. You can walk over there on your initiative. You`ll have things to say, ideas to discuss, and time to stop and talk in the first place.

Developing an action based on what "seems like a great idea at the moment" isn`t ignoring reality. You`re not stupid! Of course you could sit and force yourself to peruse Monster.com, or any other online boards. Naturally you could weigh yourself down with a sense of "adult responsibility" and write 30 covers for a resume. You could make yourself---force yourself---to sit at a desk and get to work "dreaming" up a new idea. How will forcing yourself to dream work?

It`s not that you`re going into denial, walking away, ignoring your actual worries and concerns. It`s that you`re focusing your energies on doing SOMEthing that`ll perk you up, sharpen rather than dull your attention and awareness, and you`re going out and about into an ever-shifting world of variables. I`m not saying that while you`re making the brownies you aren`t also "thinking" (not worrying) about how to get the car payment. I`m saying that by redirecting your energies, you`ll become more objective about that thinking. And, you`ll be moving!

hey, craig.

i`m really into the get moving mentality and like i said, i have been implementing it in my daily life. but i am wondering if there are concrete things that can get me moving that are business-related eventhough some important questions remain unanswered?  like, i would imagine, talking to a bank about loans, i would need to know the "what to sell" and "where" answers so it doesn`t seem like the right time for that task.  i`m trying to think up some things i can go out there and do that will get me steps closer to my own business (although i recognize that even the daily movements are helping!).  thank you!

Hi Garfield:

What your feeling is quite normal. You were an employee for XX years and now your going to get out of your comfort zone and change your mindset to that of an employer, business owner, sole proprietor,etc.  Congratulations!

But first, some word of caution. There are no such things as a "Get Rich Quick" scheme and any advertisement and/or infomercial that says you will be up and running in no time and drawing an income stream while you sleep is Bull____.

Do you really know a lot about clothing, fabrics, styles, etc? If so, this may be your niche. Your niche should reflect a strong passion from within and something you like to read about and/or experience every day. If you worked many years for an employer are you an expert in a specific area? Why not try to write an "How To" E-Book. Information is a great seller over the web. Clothing may drive some sales but with all the competition out there, I do not think it will generate the sales your looking for. Unless $1,000 a month is acceptable to you.

I retired early after 32 years in State Goverment and have enrolled in an online business start-up course that covers stuff from A-Z. I spend 7-10 hours a day  writing text for my site and working through the online program that requires me to create a Business Vision Statement, Time Line, writing into a daily business journal, etc.....and I LOVE IT.  I have a  coach that contacts me every week to discuss issues, progress, "What am I Feeling Right Now", etc and makes sure I stay the course and complete my tasks every week. Tough stuff, but well worth it. Remember playing a sport or trying to play the piano.......you cannot just say I can do this by myself..... WE ALL NEED A COACH TO HELP US!!!!!!! It takes the strain out of trying to actually accomplishing things every day. Remember, take some baby steps first!!!!

My web-site will be up in about 3 months. I will be offering a "How To" video. In the meantime my coach recommended that I sell products on E bay to gain a sense of marketing and to find out what consumers really like to buy.  I have learned a lot about marketing already, made some bucks, and am having fun to boot.

Give it some thought.

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