Today I suffered from writer’s block (the title of today’s post is a slight indication for that). I sat there thinking what to write about that is of value to you….and two headlines, two apples, and three hours later, I was still thinking about a topic.
And then I remembered that at one time, this is what I had felt for years: a block. You wonder how to do the things that are of true value to yourself, but somehow you cannot figure it out. So you just continue with the flow, like everyone else really, with no real ambition or purpose in life. No fire in you, just a tiny flame.
Sometimes we walk through life and don’t question certain things, because we don’t know different. We continue to function in certain life structures, put up with negative people, uninspiring environments, and go about life like robots in a set routine.
We may not be happy. Fairly content will do. Yet something is missing. This is not really what I wanted…
But too often we just keep going, because this is what we and the masses around us do and know.
Can you relate to that…? (If you ever rushed to the London Underground in the morning, traveled to work squeezed like a sardine, and back home in the evening with ‘Britain Got Talent’ making your day – you probably can)
And without noticing a year passes by, two, five….. a decade….and we are still on that path to….nowhere significant really. But at least you got selected for that new job. Hey, they chose you. That’s an achievement…. or not?
I listened to one of my favorite motivational videos by Les Brown a few days ago (you got to watch it!). Where he says: “Most people have done all that they are ever going to do….they raise a family, they earn a living, and then they die….” (nothing wrong with it really, but not fulfilling for everyone)
Les Brown describes that he never knew he and his family were poor living in the US, because he did not know different. His mum used to clean the houses of wealthy white families and she often took her children with her. And one day Les asked why they were not living in such a beautiful big home, just like the one they were cleaning. Her mother told him not to ask….because she was of the opinion that this was a world outside of what they could ever achieve.
Years later, when Les Brown became a renowned motivational speaker and coach, featuring on national TV shows…he bought his mama a beautiful big house.
I think many of us can relate to such stories, maybe in different ways. I for example grew up with great focus on education….you get good results and then you start looking for a job. This is the message I received both from my family and the education system and the society in Germany where I grew up. So that’s exactly what I did. No-one spoke ever about entrepreneurship. People around me wanted to travel, marry, and become lawyers or logopedists. My ambition to work in Africa for international development was as ‘out of the norm’ as it could get. Sudan? Wow, really?
The first time I run into a proper business man was in Eritrea when I was already an adult, and I found it hard to grasp: I kind of thought Eritreans where either freedom fighters or farmers.
Entrepreneurship was something that did not even occur to me (and if at all it had a negative notion attached to it). I did not know anything about having your own business, realizing your full potential in building something of your own, striving towards financial independence, living a grand lifestyle…..and being able to help others who are less fortunate. I just focused on the last bit: I got a job working for charitable organisations in international development getting my monthly salary.
And when I read one day last year on Forbes magazine (yes, that’s were I practice mindset change) that the number one reason that people are not successful is that they do not know how, because it never occurred to them that they could….I felt that my experience was validated. That’s it, good someone saw it this way! So now I knew, why I chose to work for an NGO to help communities in Africa on a monthly payslip, instead of building an enterprise doing just the same and much, much, MUCH more.
See that poster above?
‘Build your own dreams or someone else will hire you to build theirs’
Did that ever occur to you?
It may be a real eye opener if you allow it to….
Fact is, that we see a rising trend of entrepreneurship, not just in Africa, but across the globe. Many write about this new trend viewing today’s form of entrepreneurship as a new way of life. In fact, analysts believe that entrepreneurs will impact on the world more than ever, they are the new shapers and shakers. I think that this is exactly what is happening in Africa. And what you could make happen in your own life.
I hope that you will give it some thought and seriously consider if becoming an entrepreneur could be for you. It would allow you to live out your potential, your creativity….march towards your dreams…(rule: if you read about, follow, and master the rules of successful people!). It may be a bumpy road, but so much more rewarding, and anyhow, how much have you really enjoyed the secure and ‘smooth’ path so far?
So today, I have written a more personal blog. But then I hope someone may be getting something out of it, because life is simply passing that someone by. And even the many new Africa entrepreneurs out there, I am sure, suffer from some sort of writer’s block when they are unsure of the next step or when things simply do not seem to move fast enough.
But the first and biggest step towards your dream is really the letting go of the old to make space for the new….it requires a lot of bravery (glad I mastered that bit). And if you are hungry enough, you will, too. As Les Brown said: ‘You got to be hungry!’ That’s the truth about the rumbling tummy and successful Africa Entrepreneurship. You.Got. To. Be. HUNGRY.
Hope you are. Not settling with what you have, but wanting a better version of life, a better version of yourself, and of the world around you is the only way to grow and reach true fulfillment.
And one more thing: Once you are really hungry……make sure you stay thirsty!
Wishing you all the best!
And still. Let’s be defined what dosage in this case approaches most of all. There can be it cialis 20mg or something another. To me I think it isn’t necessary to choose for you necessary. Think. Perhaps suits you cialis 20 mg It is much better.
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Harnet, This is beautiful! More or less a testimony! Right on Time! You tasted the fire and you’ll never go back… I can relate and saw entrepreneurship when I was a kid after my dad retired from the military. I never wanted a job but through jobs I gained the skills./experience, and will be starting hopefully by the end of the year with several projects in Africa and the African Diaspora. Entrepreneurship has always been around, but it is more important now more than ever…. Communications is now mobile and instantaneous, there are more people on the planet sharing the same resources and businesses have become more streamline because of information technology and digital automation. Creative thinking, business intelligence, and your business coaching is imperative in a competitive world where decisions can make or break your ambitions and dreams! Africa Jumpstart is right for the times! Keep Sharing! Yeteshala Aderge!