If you haven’t figured it out by now, I have a ton of entrepreneurial aspirations. You could even say it’s in my DNA. A recent blog, “My 8 Lessons from Publishing a Book” by my friend Chris got me thinking about how difficult it is to venture out on your own as a creator. There are endless opportunities, but it comes with endless hours of work with very little initial payoff. Here are my 8 guiding thoughts as I seek my dream of being a singer/songwriter/author/keynote speaker.
1. I refuse to “hustle.”
I recognize that this goes against a lot of the advice out there to make it as an entrepreneur, but I’ve got my reasons for speaking out against this. When I say I refuse to “hustle,” I mean I refuse to work late into the night skimping on sleep. Taking on every opportunity that comes my way no matter what. I used to “hustle” and I contribute my ailing health as a major consequence of that hustle along with anxiety during those years. Instead of working harder, I will work smarter. I will only do what is essential. I will get enough sleep and I will prioritize my wife (and cat) and most of all my faith life. If this means I only accomplish my dreams partway or on a limited scale, I can be okay with it. In the end, this is really only about being happy by pursuing my passions.
2. My passion will guide me.
As a child, I wanted to be a professional baseball player. As a sophomore in college, I wanted to direct music videos. Now, I have new goals that will inevitably change. Ideally, I will focus on my passions and not allow anything else to distract from what calls to me most at the time.
3. It’s not about me.
Foremost, I truly believe God placed unique passions in my heart and mind and it is my duty in life to pursue those to his glory. I’ve also come to realize that my work is really about you. All the people who support me. I can do nothing without others. It is really humbling to know that somebody will read this and get something out of it for themselves. Ultimately, that is a major goal whether it is with my book, songs, or speaking.
4. I will FAIL.
There is little doubt I will have massive failures. In fact, I could rattle off 10-15 major instances in the past where I absolutely messed up and needed to recover and learn from something that felt extremely negative.
5. It will never be about the money.
At this point, I cannot even imagine making money singing or speaking about my writing. If I made $50 in the next 10 years, I would be ecstatic. I don’t spend my time singing, learning guitar, or writing because it will make me money, but because it makes me happy and feel at peace. If I made $100,000 a year doing this and I am less happy than I am now, I’ve failed.
6. Every step is an accomplishment.
The first song I ever wrote was for my Teaching Reading course in college. In fact, it is the only song I’ve currently finished. It has serious musical problems, but I took an idea and worked through it from start to finish and produced something I am really proud of in spite of its inadequacies. When I finish my book, if even 1 person reads it, it does not matter. I wrote it and that is an accomplishment enough.
7. I will not be afraid.
Fear has been a major theme the past 6 months of my life and really all my life. Truthfully, I will be terrified every step of the way, but I am done with letting it stop me. I’ve often asked myself, “What if I accomplish everything I’ve set out to do and I don’t actually like it or I’m not actually happy?” This is a question steeped in fear. Instead, I’ve been asking, “What if it’s everything I hoped it to be?”
8. I will be ME.
This blog and anything else I create will be authentic to me. I cannot expect anything less from myself. I used to be so concerned about what others thought of me, but now I know that I have to be authentic to myself. If I do that, everything will fall into place just fine. This is what I want for everyone more than anything. Be you! Be happy being you. Don’t do something just because you think you are supposed to do it. God placed passions and interests deep inside your DNA. Discover and explore them even if it means revamping your entire life. If done wisely, you will never regret it.