Courage

Are you tired of the life of cubicle hell?

Is you boss an ass?

Do you feel stuck with the way things are now and lost about how it could change?

Do you ever let yourself dream of freedom?

What is holding you back?

Of coarse, you already know the answers to all these questions, especially the last one, or you wouldn’t still be reading this. Fear. Fear of the unknown, the unfamiliar, fear of failing, being broke, fear you might not have what it takes to make a go of that business you’ve thought about.

I have a message for you. It’s like a message from an older brother. My older brother David died when he was only 22 years old from cancer. Although I have outlived him now by 30 years, I still feel his influence on me today at 52. I don’t know you, reader, but if you’ve read this far, I know you, and I’d like to be as your older brother would be and help you re-awaken your courage.

Note that I said re-awaken, not give you. You already have it. It’s like a seed that just needs a little stimulation to awaken from dormancy. It needs a little encouragement, a favorable mental environment in which to grow. Fragile in the beginning, time will make it stronger. Be patient. Keep caring for it.

If you will think deeply, you will also come to realize why I say re-awaken. You had it, long ago, when you were a child. Find those moments from your past, they are all you.

You and I live in the greatest country on the planet. The ideals upon which our country is based all stem from the concept of individual freedom. We are not given rights by the government, we already have them. Although not a gift, freedom has to be fought for to be kept, or it will be taken away. It’s your job to keep it and support those who help you keep it. It’s your job to fight those who want to take freedom from you, no matter who they are, or where they are. It’s a war. This country and the ideals it was founded around are the best attempt yet to create an environment in which the individual is free to succeed at life. It doesn’t mean we think we are superior, just more free to live and grow. Many people want to take away freedom. It gives them power. Outside people and inside. Has to be fought constantly or it is lost. Only here in America, is the opportunity to go for it- there for the taking. The only thing holding you back is your own thoughts. Like Dorothy, you could have escaped anytime you had wanted.

Start building your own small business. Have fun with it. It’s your outlet to allow you to fight against the shackles of the cubicle and that asshole you work for. Work for yourself instead. Don’t work to advance someone else’s goals, work to advance your goals! That’s living! Resolve that you are not going to have wasted your life being a slave to anyone, or slave to your own fear. Remember Saturday mornings as a kid? You felt wonderful when you jumped out of bed and could play. You can have that again you know. Something you can’t wait to get at. Build it. Have fun with it.

For a while, maybe even a few years, you will live in both worlds. Of course it will be difficult, the difference will be the outcome. You are working toward something. Death is not acting, not doing anything. Giving up. Settling for mediocrity. That’s not who you are. You are going to grab a big ass piece of life and run with it before anyone can catch you! Run!

Although you will need to be prudent, take baby steps, not make risky money moves, nurture this baby through the fragile period until it can stand on it’s own, at some point you are going to need to start thinking big. Most small businesses languish in mediocrity because the owner doesn’t think big. The owner simply created their own job. The next stage will be to make it into a real business. That would be a business that could function without you. When you’ve achieved that, you own a business, not a job.

The End.

“Tell me more!”

I can’t.

You tell ME more. Get off your ass and go to play. Report back to me.

Oh, OK, one more thing. Courage. If you had to think about every muscle that had to be activated, in just the right sequence, in order to walk, you’d trip before making one step. You can’t know everything there is to know before you can do something. You have what you need to walk, so walk! Don’t over-analyze. Find what makes you jazzed and go act on it. You can’t wait until it’s all perfectly clear in your head. If you believe in something, act on it. That’s courage.