just start

“Just start.”

“…But how?”

​I’m the kind of person that needs to have a plan for everything. My wife tells me that it’s a problem that I see things too much like a business sometimes. And turns out my best friend has similar sentiments. Although his was worded more like, “bro… you forgot how to have fun.”

Writing has been a passion of mine for years now. Though, I suppose passion can be debated. Am I really passionate about something that I dread doing all the time? That I have to force myself to do?

Well yeah, kind of.

I’ve been exposed to an unhealthy amount of perspective on passion, entrepreneurship, on all it takes to follow your dreams. And one thought that’s often echoed by successful people is that if you’re really passionate about something, you wouldn’t be sitting on your butt doing nothing about it. You just don’t want it bad enough. Because the REAL entrepreneurs are the ones out here grinding, putting in blood, sweat, and tears day-in day-out to make it all happen.

The entrepreneurs I know personally are rarely like that. And if they are, they’re not people I would exactly look up to.

I’ve been an entrepreneur for well over 6 years now. I started my first business when I was a junior in college at age 20, and I’ve continued to run it after graduating, then working full-time on top of it, getting married to my lovely wife, buying my first house, taking on new church leadership roles… in other words, despite more and more responsibilities vying for my time.

I’ve oscillated between being absolutely obsessed with my business… to wanting nothing to do with it. I’ve grinded hours into the night literally until the sun rose, only to bemoan even thinking about working on it the next week. It’s absolutely my passion project.

I’ve had to sacrifice so much to get to where I am today. Relationships have faded. Fights broken out with loved ones. I’ve missed out on so much quality time with my friends and family. I’ve missed so many opportunities to take a nap.

Entrepreneurs crown this as a golden achievement. Because while all you other scrubs have been wasting your life away playing games (ha!) and partying (ha!) and hanging out (HA!), I’ve been grinding my soul away building for my future.

But in my eyes, many times I find my life choices are laced with regret. I envy a simpler life where I could just kick back and enjoy time with my loved ones. Time is something I can never buy back. Those potential memories are lost forever.

Yet, here I am. Starting another venture. Because that’s what I do.

Some parting thoughts: if you’re someone who lives a “normal” life. If you work a 9-5, if you’re scrapping by paying for rent, if you come home every day to your dog and Netflix, if you spend your money on the weekends hanging with friends, only to look at entrepreneurial things like this and kick yourself for not doing anything with your life.

Stop.

Because there’s nothing inherently wrong with what you’re doing, and anyone who tells you otherwise just needs the ego boost for their own insecurities. Our success in life is not dictated by what we create, but by the impact we have in other people’s lives.

So go out and spread some love. And stick with that 9-5, because entrepreneurship is overrated.