Posted by Rachel in Passion, events | 5 Comments
Can You Risk It?
What is the single most common factor among successful entrepreneurs?
That’s the question keynote speaker Scott Berkun asked me and the other 200 attendees of the indie biz conference BizJam this weekend. We shouted out answers about creativity, wealth, and dedication.
Turns out, the answer is slightly more surprising. Scott says the thing most successful starters have in common is a high tolerance for risk.
If you believe that–and I sure do–then it’s a good thing to keep in mind if you’re transitioning to self-employment. The hardest challenge I see clients face is the leap from the safety of “what-I-know” to the murky space of “what-I-hope-will-be.”
An indie business owner is like the trapeze artist who has to learn to let go of one rung in mid-air and trust the momentum to carry her to the next swing. It’s terrifying and exhilarating, and if you plan to launch a business that starts and ends with you, you have to figure out if you can stand it.
If you want to learn more about Scott Berkun’s theories on entrepreneurs and innovators, check out his book, The Myths of Innovation.
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Rachel, I agree with you about the “hardest challenge” faced not only by indies, but by anyone in the midst of change. Somewhere in-between who we used to be, and who we are going to be, is an uncertain and sometimes uncomfortable place. The in-between place. The place of not-knowing. The place of uncertainty. Our task then, is to bring patience to this confusing place, allowing the creativity of it’s chaos to simmer, and readying ourselves to welcome the beauty that is sure to unfold.
Karen, I had a client once who really resonated with feeling like she was on a ladder. She’d climbed to a certain level, and she had been mildly satisfied with her progress, but she was still deeply unhappy. In spite of her unhappiness, though, she didn’t feel capable of letting go of the ladder rung to which she was clinging in order to reach for the next rung. She felt that letting go of any handhold she might have was to possibly surrender her current progress and fall. I have met so many people who feel like this that I’m amazed when I meet someone who *doesn’t*.
Rachel, I think sometimes when people have the blues, they associate the cause with something in the outside world. “If only THAT were differenct, I could be different.” Sometimes this is true. More often, of course, the healing that is needed isn’t in the outside world at all — it’s much closer to home, deep within us. I think people sense this on some level, and fearing an inability to heal themselves, they resist taking any action at all. Becoming frozen, they are unable to make changes here or there. We call this “being stuck.”
Out task then, as mental health providers, is to remind people of their inate goodness, and of their resilience even in the face of tremendous doubt and fear. To hold open for them the possibiity of healing even when they cannot see it for themselves. To be believed in, can sometimes be the most healing gift we can offer to another human being. It becomes their “safe place to fall.”
Other times, I think people become identified with a particular aspect of their lives, perhaps their job title, or family role, and to let go of this overly identified place would be experienced like a “little death.” The challenge then, is to deepen our ability to connect with our core self, and to return the anchor of our lives back to this authenticity. To transition from one role to another ought not stir us to the point of near exstinction, but rather could become a testiment to the dynamic quality of being alive.
I totally agree, Karen. I believe therapists worth their salt are the ones able to tolerate these little deaths, these stuck moments, and the overwhelming fear with their clients. My training has transformed me into someone who can enter that kind of space, hold the boundaries and allow for whatever happens next. It sounds like you have similar experience, which I’m glad to see. The world needs grounded therapists who can sit in the fire and the darkest caves of existence and not lose themselves.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Like most people, I view risk the same way as I do death. Only I don’t deny it, as risk-averse people do. I know it’s there, whether I avoid it or not. Risk is the poisonous vodka in the tonic. Without it, life is flavorless; Too much can destroy us.
I’ve bargained on some things that didn’t go to plan, and only a couple of my high-risk shinanigans have ended up taking me to my knees. I figure I’d have ended up there anyway a couple of times in my life so far, so I’m happy to embrace it and learn in this way.
I’d like to encourage people to be passionate, be smart and roll those dice.