A New Direction…

I have not blogged in a long while, because in the last few weeks I have had some unpleasant personal experiences.  The cliche’ that when it rains it pours seems more true to me now than ever.  

All of my goals and good intentions have been set aside for the sake of what seems like mere survival.  During this time, I have begun to learn more about who I am, and what I am capable of handling in life.  This lesson has forced me to take a closer look at my spiritual life and re-ground myself.  More importantly, I have re-learned patience, love, trust, and humility.

Right now, I am less focused on the outward and material realm and more focused on the inward and soul realm.  In other words, the goodness within.  

I am reading a book entitled, The Thunder of Silence, written by Joel S. Goldsmith.  This book is about true spiritual living.  This is my focus for the remainder of my life…a spiritual walk that allows me to be of genuine good to myself as well as the people I share this earth with.

Although this blog started with a focus on ENTREPRENEURSHIP, I am changing the focus (and re-titling it) to just be about whatever  I am spiritually led to share.

My New Venture – Mission

My family and friends would probably say that I am passionate about coaching, leading, teaching, and motivating others.  Yet, I simply want to help others feel good about themselves, be happy in this life, accomplish dreams, identify a purpose and LIVE it. 

“…I realize that being passionate about something is wonderful.  It is even better if I am able to develop a mission and set goals around my passion…I must stay focused and persistent in order to develop an organization devoted to achieving my goals.”

I made this closing statement in a post on January 5th.  I have been thinking about and working on how to achieve this ever since. 

New Venture Update:

I am exploring the non-profit world and talking to like-minded individuals about what an organization such as what I am proposing would look and feel like for those it is intended to serve.

As I continue to develop my new organization’s mission statement and develop organizational goals – I welcome the knowledge and experience of others who share the desire to help others to grow, mature, accomplish dreams, and identify their purpose.

What do you think my my mission should be for this organization?

Please comment, offer suggestions, or ask questions.

Living “The Dream”

I Have a Dream…

“In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 

excerpt from The I Have a Dream speech.

 

This morning, as I received my first business call, I was reminded by my client that it was the “Martin Luther King holiday”.  As he joked with me using the ”I Have a Dream” tag line, I reminisced about a time in history when people in this country were so terribly divided.  I replied with, “…the fact that we are doing business together and sharing our thoughts so openly and honestly is another example of realizing Dr. King’s dream.” My client stated that Barack Obama is also proof that The Dream has been realized.  Now we have to get back to the business of making this country economically viable.

Today, our nation celebrates the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  A man who peacefully championed the causes of civil rights for all, regardless of who they were or where they came from.  His efforts, and those of many others who worked tirelessly alongside him, were not in vain. 

Tomorrow, Barack Obama, the first African American to be elected President in this country will be inducted into office.  This is a beautiful time for our country…to realize Dr. King’s dream that we would come together as a country, setting aside biases and do what is best for all.  I am glad we are coming together as a nation and look forward to supporting our next president in facilitating “the change we need” in this country. 

This is cause for celebration and an expression of gratitude for:

• being alive and witnessing such a history making and momentous time.
• the ability to earn a living based upon my individual efforts as an entrepreneur.
• the scholars who have come before me imparting wisdom, which affords me a rich and meaningful education.
• my desire to make a positive difference in society
• the friends I have who care enough to judge me by the “content of my character” and not the color of my skin.
• this nation’s growth and maturity. 
• the many opportunities living in this country has afforded me – particularly “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Intro – My New Venture

Every resource I can find about starting a business venture, whether it is for profit or nonprofit, recommends developing a solid plan.  As a current business owner and someone who has taught business plan writing workshops, it would seem quite simple to accomplish.  Yet, when you actually sit down and think about the things you are most passionate about and ultimately what you believe your purpose to be, it is not so simple.

For the next (however long it realistically takes) months, I will be planning and developing a new venture.  At this point, I am sure that this venture is the answer to something I am very passionate about.  Its purpose is to benefit others in our society.  I believe it will be an educational nonprofit organization. It will also be the basis for my doctoral project.

I am really excited about all of the opportunities ahead in 2009! In good faith, I am sharing this experience with the universe through blogging.

Your Core Passion

All day yesterday, I was delighted about the opportunity for a fresh start in the new year.  I was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug a long time ago, but  could never quite nail it down.  I believe the reason for this is lack of true focus on my core passion. 

Most people are caught between the need to survive (food, shelter, etc.) and dreaming about a “perfect world” where they can be independent and make loads of money.  Often times, the money is so much of a focal point that it is distracting from the dream itself.

Recently, I came to the conclusion that although I am a business owner and a life-long student, my core passion is to help others by teaching them to find their passion and realize success.  I am most interested in those people who are resilient and have overcome difficult situations in their lives.  This is what I am most passionate about – my social-entrepreneurial project. 

I love the idea of starting a new project at the beginning of a new year.  I am blogging about it to hold myself accountable.  This is very important, especially for a procrastinator like myself. 

It is good to share my ideas along this positive  journey as it may connect me with like-minded individuals with similar goals.

I challenge you to find your core passion.  It is not just about what you do well, but what your heart tells you to do at every turn in life. 

I remember playing the “hot and cold” game as a kid.  One of us would hide an object and the others would have to find it.  There were one of two choices as clues, hot if you are close by the object or cold if you are far way.  Often the person who hid the object would say, “…you are getting warmer…” or something similar. 

That game reminds me of some aspects of our lives.  Sometimes, we go through life getting colder and colder because we are not paying attention to the clues indicating the object’s (core passion) location. 

When things go smoothly in life and the right people are on our path at the right time - we are getting warmer.  When we are delighted at every turn and can see the value in our existence, we are hot!  The object is right there for us to grab and run with it.

If you have not done so thus far in life – I encourage you to start actively seeking your core passion.  Remember to be aware of the clues.

A New Year and New Opportunities

I was so excited to awake this morning to a new year!  I feel very confident that 2009 is going to be a year of positive change for me and my family.  I see it as an oportunity to “get things right” that were not done so well in 2008 and prior years.

In the last few weeks, I have not blogged because I could not seem to find the time.  I thought of it often, but there was always something else taking priority.  I just wanted to get through the holiday season and “start fresh” in the new year.

I finished my first Semester in the doctoral program…could have done better if it had not been for my mis-prioritizing and procrastination.  So for 2009, I have a plan, or a resolution to NOT procrastinate. 

Sure, I could list a million excuses for why I procrastinate.  I could be justified in many of those excuses.  Instead, I want to take personal responsibility for my choices – just like I teach my son to do.

In 2009, I want to really “walk my talk” by being the best example I can for my family, friends, clients, and anyone I come in contact with.  I always tout the desire to help people by encouraging them to dream and set goals that will allow them to feel successful. 

In 2009, I want to really set and achieve goals that I can look back upon in 2010 and have a sense of pride about.  I am truly grateful for the new year and opportunity to make it happen.

Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Who are our next generation of entrepreneurs?

As a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, educator, caregiver, etc., are you encouraging young people to be entrepreneurs?  As a business owner, are you looking for ways to welcome young people into your organization as a future innovative contributor?

When I was a child, the adults in my family always asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  My typical answer was a lawyer. I thought lawyers were cool when I was a kid because I believed they stood for fairness and justice, and they helped people.  Thinking back, the only two questions the adults in my world did ask were: What do you want to be?  Where are you going to college?

I recently read an article (Chelala, 2008) entitled, The Next Generation of Entrepreneurs, that stated, “…future [economic] growth will depend on the creation of an entrepreneurial workforce that is stable, educated, and has the capacity and training to seize short- and long-term opportunities.  Achieving economic growth and social development depends on young people being able to reach their potential not only as employees, but also as employers.”

For the last year, my eleven year old son has been learning the printing business.  There are no major expectations of him, but when he wants to earn a little cash, he completes tasks for the business too.  I have instinctively encouraged his learning the business because I believe it “builds character”.  He listens to conversations with customers and asks questions.  I support this because I want to help develop his critical thinking skills.  I know he loves technology and is an avid gamer, so I encourage him to think about what he could do as an adult in this arena.  When he was a little guy – about 6 six years old, he loved watching racing on television, so we took him to a Nascar Race, so he could see it up close and personal.  If he wanted to grow up and race cars or own a race car, I would wholeheartedly support that.  I believe we need to pay attention to the young people in our society and look for real opportunities to support them with words of wisdom or guidance whenever possible.

Both national and international organizations like Young Americas Business Trust are supporting initiatives that make it possible for countries and communities to support the development of youth innovation and entrepreneurship.

On November 15 of last year, the Young Americas Business Trust launched its 2008 Talent and Innovation Competition of the Americas, an international business plan competition that seeks to accelerate the development and market potential of innovative young entrepreneurs and scientists (Chelala, 2008).

On two separate occasions, I had the opportunity to facilitate business learning with middle school youth and high school teens.  Both times, I did not want to end the experience.  I was always impressed with just how much more advanced these young people were than I expected.  Their ability to be creative is unhampered by life experience, they are willing to execute with zeal if given the opportunity.  I always learned from them.

If you are interested in supporting the youth in our society, there are many initiatives and organizations you can get involved with – see my Youth Entrepreneurship page for a few suggestions.

If you know of any others, please share by commenting.

Reference: Chelala, C. (2008, August). The next generation of entrepreneurs. Americas, 60(4), 58-60.

Social Entrepreneurship

Last evening, for the first time, I watched an episode of  “Secret Millionaire” on The Fox Network.  Typically reality shows bore me after a moment or two, but this one kept me entranced. 

The episode was about, Myles Kovacs, co-owner of  DUB, a multi-million dollar magazine-publishing business and his wife Cynthia Kovacs, anonymously spending a week in Watts, an impoverished area in Los Angeles, known for racial tension and rioting a few years back.

At the end of the episode,  I was in tears.  I do not want to spoil it for anyone who has not had an opportunity to see it (I am sure there will be re-runs), but suffice it to say – there is definitely a happy ending.

This experience took me on a little journey that led me to an epiphany.  Last night, I could hardly sleep and this morning I arose early to explore the world of social entrepreneurship. 

I have often made the statement, “…I am not money focused, I just want to help people.”  Typically, when I say that, the response from those around me is, “…but you need money to live.”  I say, “…that’s true”.  That is where it ends, until the thought re-occurs. 

Now, I know that what I have been saying is truly from my heart.  My core passion is to be a social entrepreneur.  Money is not my motivation, but the satisfaction of those around me is.  My pursuit of higher education, my joy when serving my customers, my ability to listen intently and always wanting to leave the other person feeling a bit more empowered are symptoms of my passion to make a difference socially.

This makes perfect sense.  Now, I have a sense of renewed direction.  I am so excited about it, I can hardly contain myself.  

To be continued…

Dreaming of Success?

Tomorrow is my 44th birthday, so I am a bit reflective today.

For as long as I can remember, I dreamed of business success. I remember while others in my high school had backpacks, I had a briefcase. Sure, they laughed at me from time to time, but I did not care. I was focused on being an entrepreneur.

At that time (many years ago), I wanted to be a politician, an attorney, motivational speaker, and a few more things that I no longer recall. The point is – I was an aspiring dreamer. I had hopes for success.

If I could go back to high school and do things differently, I would focus on activities that were directly related to my best attributes: ability to communicate well, and desire to help other achieve their goals for success.

I was an award winning debater and public speaker throughout junior and senior high. I would have continued to speak publicly by representing worthy causes. I would have studied the great orators past and present. I would have read all the right books and wrote a few myself by now.

Yes, becoming a motivational speaker was my number one dream. I remember the first time I saw Oprah on television. I thought to myself, that should be me. I should be inspiring multitudes of people. It is a spiritual calling that I should have heeded long ago, but that is not the path I took.

There are many accomplishments that I can still be proud of: most important – being a mom, obtaining my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, a decent corporate career, small business ownership, and the freedom to reach and teach others in a positive way.

Well, after reflecting, I realize that I have done alright in life and since I haven’t stopped dreaming of success, there is more opportunity ahead of me.