How the entrepreneurial journey changes you as a person

I remember, before I decided to pursue my lettering full-time, how fearful I was. It was mostly fear of the unknown, fear of not living up to other people’s expectations and the fear of failing and looking like a fool for trying.

I can see why anyone in that situation would feel the way that I did, but as I sit here typing this, eight months later, I feel differently. I’m definitely no overnight success – I am earning nowhere near the amount that I was earning when I worked at my corporate job, but I feel rich. Rich in the sense that I’ve really begun to live more fully each and every day. I used to have to drag myself out of bed to go to work. I used to exercise once a week, maybe. I used to eat chocolate and lollies every day. I used to complain non-stop about everything. I used to think I had a strong work ethic, had a solid belief system, and was mentally strong. Little did I know how far I had to go.

I realise now, that because everything in my life was relatively stable, I assumed that any change to that status quo would make my life worse. I fixated on what I could lose, rather than what I could gain. It was only when I reached a point where the thought of where I’d be in 5, 10, 20 years (in my corporate job) was painful enough that it forced me to make a change.

It’s funny – once I made that change, I instinctively knew that I had to work on myself. I had to make self-development a priority. Perhaps it was because I now had the time to exercise whenever I wanted, or get up whenever I wanted, that I needed to put self-management systems in place. If I didn’t, nothing would happen for me. I had to be the one to take action. I finally started taking responsibility for my own life.

I believe that the people who will live up to their potential aren’t necessarily the smartest people in the room. I believe it’s the people who are the most tenacious. These people have a vision, a set of beliefs about how to live their optimal life, and they prioritise those things. Not everyone WILL be tenacious, but everyone CAN be. If I ever reach a stage where I feel like I’m living my greatest life, it’s not because I’m made of some special sauce. It’s because I made small improvements. Every. Single. Day. I got up a few minutes earlier every week. I exercised a few minutes longer every week. I started doing meditation practice for 5 minutes every day. I fought the inner voice that said ‘nah, just do it later’, because doing things even when we don’t want to is the key to creating lasting change.

It’s a lifelong journey – and I’ve only just started to melt the tip of the iceberg. I have no idea what my career will look like. That used to scare me so much more than it does now because I am convinced that working on myself can only lead to good things. (The pain and struggle of growth is excluded from that statement).

Thank you for listening to my story so far. I hope that reading it has positively impacted your life in some way. If it has, please enjoy the feeling and remember all the good things that you have in your life.