Live with Passion

One  could argue we’re in a labor crisis in Michigan. Perhaps this is true. One could also argue that a lost job, or no job, is simply an opportunity to change course. Job security and a steady paycheck are becoming less of a possibility, particularly in today’s volatile economic climate. So  how can you future-proof your livelihood? One solid choice that will stay with you despite economic factors, living locale, downsizing, outsourcing, cutbacks, layoffs, shutdowns, slowdowns, or meltdowns is to choose this: entrepreneurialize your talents.

I can see eyes rolling as I write this, but look at it this way: If you constantly strive to improve yourself, you reduce the likelihood of being replaced, reduced, or rebuffed. You create an inner strength and vision for yourself, your family, your life, and livelihood once you commit to yourself the following: No matter the form of the storm around you, you will find ways to make yourself invaluable to your boss, your company, and ultimately your own business.

Entrepreneurship is the only job security you will ever have. Once you declare for yourself that you are an entrepreneur you make a commitment to constantly reinvent yourself , your offerings, your capabilities, and your worth as an individual and a valuable player in resurrecting Michigan’s economy.

Regardless of the form your company takes, be it a brick-and-mortar locale, one-on-one meetings with clients or a remote business via the information superhighway, you will be in charge  of your own personal sustainability.  Know this: entrepreneurs aren’t born. Rather, they emerge from an inner sense of creativity. Sometimes that creativity is spawned by an urgent necessity like a sudden job loss, but creativity is the key. 

So if you want to join the ranks of personal empowerment by way of entrepreneurship, then end the ride on the hamster wheel. Break out of the cage, shed the rat suit, cloak up in something fresh and hit the field, road, or keyboard!

This exercise might help you on the path to prosperity on every level, rather than wallowing in emotional and financial poverty. Ask yourself these questions and make the time to write three answers. Once you start writing, you may be surprised to see 10 more answers appear as you begin to free your mind. Open up your thinking! The key here is to not restrain your thinking, rather to dream big dreams. Dreaming is a great place to breed creativity. Bringing it down to reality is the next step. First step is to think with abandon!

While I was writing this blog, I received a quote in my e-mail inbox, from Chris Widener, which was indeed timely because it underscores my point. Kudos to Chris  for saying it better, “You were made for success––created for unique and magnificent destiny! Dream the extraordinary! Pursue your passion with faith and tenacity and you will bring that destiny into reality.”

Take the entrepreneurial challenge:

1. What motivates and impassions me?

2. If I could choose any type of business and not have a single worry about financial or time constraints, what type of business would I choose? (These are your ideals.)

3. Given my current life commitments, what are my non-negotiables (must-haves) for a career?

4. What professional endeavors (business) can I embark upon that meet my non-negotiables?

5. What professional endeavors (business) can I embark upon that have the greatest potential of meeting my ideals (listed in answer two above) and my non-negotiables?

The first time you look at these questions, it may feel daunting, but I encourage you to take as many tries as it takes for you to empower yourself and dream of the entrepreneur you want to become.

A few ideas that might stimulate your thinking process are:

1. Change your environment

I often find myself at the bookstore browsing and flipping through magazines and books to help spur my creativity. Sometimes just the energy of the bookstore or a café gives me an idea. While driving to an appointment several weeks back, I came up with three viable business ideas. I wish I had the time to run with all the business I dream up in a day’s time.

For example, maybe you would enjoy running a mobile auto detail business. Or maybe you could operate a valet service for shopping centers like Sam’s. Perhaps you would find pleasure in providing nonmedical caregiving services to the elderly. How about managing a top-notch, affordable residential cleaning service for the busy, dual-income households? 

2. Go on a (traditional) news fast

Certainly this is not the first time you have heard of this concept, but have you ever tried it? Garbage-in-garbage-out applies here. I implore you to digest this concept. How purposeful is the doom-and-gloom attitude that permeates our news pipelines and seeps into our psyche? Think about it for a moment; it’s all around us. Our coworkers, community members, neighbors, clerks, friends, family, the radio and TV inundate us with traditional, unhealthy news. I bet no one reading this can make it through an entire day without hearing (or delivering) a comment about awful, challenging, or depressing news.

Here’s my not-so-subtle, highly optimistic suggestion: Replace the traditional news pipeline with the nontraditional news pipeline, just for one week––and see how you feel.

3. Bury yourself in a new news/good news break

I challenge you to try it for one week. Feed your mind with uplifting information and inspirational stories from sources that interest you. Ingest only good, awe-inspiring, creativity-building, self-empowering, and dream-spawning input – for one full week. You may be amazed at what your mind creates after just one day.

A sample list includes:

• Business Solutions brought to you by BizJournals
• Entrepreneur Magazine
• Christine Comaford’s Mighty Minute
• Anything by Issue Media Group
• Michael Gerber’s E-Myth and website
• Hal Becker from BizJournals Solutions

Subscribe to e-zines with good news that fits you, your interests, your hobbies, and your inner passions. Keep the good news coming! Once you feed yourself new input, make time to do a little inner searching of what makes you excited, impassioned, and completely fired up! Then you will be well on your way to finding your entrepreneurial core and living the life you dream – true job security is there for the finding. It’s your job to find it.

No matter what type of entrepreneur you become, you will be in charge of your personal sustainability – no longer a victim to this economic climate or the boss who keeps you down. You will lead your own life into the dream you envision. Remember, there is no perfect next step, only a next step. Make it a leap!

We can view our state as one suffering from a labor crisis, or we can take advantage of the rich entrepreneurial infrastructure right here at home, dream up a little creativity, capitalize on needs and wants of our customers-in-waiting, and bust out of the rat trap!

Tamera Nielsen is a writer and business development consultant (marketing strategist) specializing writing SEO and SEM blogs, web content, articles, press releases, and case studies. As a project partner, she helps you increase revenue, gain recognition, and ultimately achieve ongoing success through intuitive business development and professional writing services.