It all starts with an idea.
It may unexpectedly strike you, like a lightning bolt on a clear summer day. Or it may slowly reveal itself to you, it may take time, experiences and sleepless nights to come into focus in your mind. Either way, once that million dollar idea starts to form your heart starts to race. You have been yearning for this revelation, you have been waiting, you have been ready for a challenge. The idea starts taking root and it sits there. Day in, day out.
It is waiting for you to come into action.
Get clear on ‘why’.
Very few human beings have the discipline to get at the same repetitive, often monotonous task, day after day without seeing immediate results. In a 5 month marathon training programme you will get tired, you will not be in the mood, you will start to come with excuses. In developing a new business you have to put in similar time and effort, and chances are that you are not making money yet. To make it extra easy this is all to be done outside of your 9 to 5. This is why you need a ‘why’.
I was never able to run as a kid. I had multiple knee surgeries and spent a lot of time in crutches and wheelchairs, sitting out of P.E and reading a book on the sidelines. Now I am healed, and nothing will crown my journey to recovery better than to cross that finish line after 42 grueling kilometers of running through the Kilimanjaro foothills.
What is your why? What do you want to bring into the world? What do you have to prove?
People will think you are crazy.
Pain and discomfort are not for the faint of heart. Whether it be literal blood, sweat and tears, or long hours behind your computer engineering together with your new business. Putting in time and effort without instant gratification is not appealing to most. That is why not everybody turns their dreams into reality.
You have your ‘why’ and you are keeping your eyes on the finish line, the victory lap will be all the more glorious!
New and improved weekends.
Instead of sleeping in, you wake up early to perfect your pitch deck for that upcoming meeting. Instead of Friday nights throwing back beers, you are sipping cups of ginger tea watching youtube videos at home trying to figure out how to carb load. Instead of a nap you squeeze in a coffee date with another entrepreneur who you admire and hope to learn from.
And guess what? This is what you genuinely want to do. Because you got clear on your reasons and have committed. You have your eyes on the prize which allows you to now enjoy the journey. You start to realize that you are more disciplined than you thought you were and this brings you confidence. Exactly the kind of confidence you will need to rock that elevator pitch or break through the Wall at the 35 km mark.
Crossing the finish line.
When you eventually cross the finish line, or launch that app or product which you have been working so hard towards, you will feel a sense of achievement you have never felt before. Only you know what you really sacrificed to come this far; sleep, money, dates, physical comfort. Knowing that you pushed through excites you and makes you wonder what other great things you are capable of. You may take a weekend of R&R and completely unplug, but before long the hustle is on again as the voice in your head asks: whats next?
Head of Communication & Fundraising
Eline spearheads crowdfunding, messaging strategies and media content for Emergi. As an anthropologist passionate about the development - private sector nexus, she specializes in merging entrepreneurial theory with real situations on the ground.
