There is no such a thing as a born entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs are made by themselves through nurturing the dormant seed deep within. The seed got to be watered in order to be sprouted. You are divinely equipped with built-in biological systems that can help you unleash your uniqueness. But what fails most aspiring entrepreneurs is that they seek change rather than transformation. Change is situational, such as the move to a new site, a new technology; transformation, on the other hand, is psychological - an internal three-phase process. While change is cosmetic, temporary and mostly physical, transformation is organic, deep, sustainable and spiritual.
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Every single species since the dawn of times craves for its own evolution. The seed aspire to be a tree, carbon runs through a long process to become diamond, and a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. Man, evolves to be the best version of him. The commonality and the thread that unite these species is that time and pressure is what transforms the ordinary to the extraordinary, the norm into the breakthrough, and aspiring creature into a thriving one. Since we are moving away from managed economy and into entrepreneurial economy, the call for transformational entrepreneurs is not only timely but mandatory as well.
Discontinuous shift demands a discontinuous mindset. This new and upgraded mindset is one that transformed from dependency on a third part, whoever this part is; economy or big corporation, to an independent and entrepreneurial mindset that builds its own economy no matter what the external economy functions. The introduction of automobile by Henry Ford in the beginning of 20th century, was a discontinuity; one that radically transforms both economy and society. Likewise, embarking on this journey of entrepreneurship will transform both your life and the life of others.
This journey is not for the faint of heart. For it would be difficult to see beyond such a discontinuity as it would for a nine-year old boy to imagine being fifteen. He can easily imagine being 10 years of age, but it is virtually impossible for him to plan what his life will be like when his hormones of adolescence kicks in. This hormone is a discontinuity. Living through this discontinuity, be it adolescence stage, a new technological innovation or even a war, like the one we witness now between Russia and Ukraine, is like going through a painful but often a mature and rewarding learning experience.
The journey of transformation is, initially, primed through your soul. Your soul is whispering to you that there is a mission and value that got to be delivered by you on this earth. Should you listen to this whisper, your life won’t be the same. It’s your calling. To be the best version of you, you got to obey your calling. In order for this transformation journey to be rewarding, it demands a disciplined three-phase process.
The first phase isSending yourself to death. In order for a new identity to appear, an old and conditioned one got to be sent to death. The phase is spiritual as your soul asks you to shed away your conditioned and old self as it is obsolete and irrelevant. You got to let go of the old way of doing things. If you keep doing the same old things you will get the same results. Evolving and getting to your next step of evolution requires stripping away the harmful and unnecessary stuff in your life. You got to be willing to go all in and be ruthless in eliminating of what’s not serving you even in your relationships. That’s what I mean by sending yourself to death.
The objective of the first phase is to crystalize your life and gain clarity. Visualize yourself ascending to the top of the mountain. This mountain is the best version of you. The less luggage you have, the better. There is more stuff that won’t serve you in this ascending journey. This phase requires an internal work to understand yourself. Through reflecting on your life experiences, you will get to the conclusion that some parts of you got to be eliminated, other parts got to reduced, other parts to be increased, and parts that got to be created. You got to create a space for the new to step in and the only way is to ditch what no longer serves you.
The second phase isManaging the grey area. Letting go of the old and obsolete identity is a new beginning. You will be confused, uncertain, and feeling lost as you get into this new world of entrepreneurship. This phase is the core of this transformational journey. You let go of old and deeply-rooted habits and try to install new ones. Your life in this phase will be chaotic but chaos is the beginning not the end. You will feel down and impatient as implanting new habits take time, guts, and discipline. It’s a going-through-hell-phase that tests your endurance.
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The new seeds that are planted and nurtured in this phase shape your destiny. You will be working diligently and deliberately on removing old habits and installing new one. You will feel lonely and less self-confident as you work internally before getting into the outer world. Always remember that the seed is planted first under the ground in a cold, invisible spot. The time it takes to dissolve into a new upgraded version of you is dependent on you. It’s through this underground, dark phase that your creativity blossoms and your vision is taking shape. This phase is like the winter time in which the roots begin to prepare themselves for spring’s renewal. It’s the initial chaos that leads, through your persistence, to the order your seek.
The third phase is Manifesting. The pain that you went through and accepted in the second phase is the gain you will enjoy afterwards. Reaching this phase is attributed largely to one powerful word: acceptance. Failing to accept the pains and struggles in the second phase won’t get you to the third phase. Acceptance will help you develop your physical and mental stamina. As an aspiring entrepreneur, you get to a conclusion that being valuable and of service to others is the purpose of your living. Being valuable is what drives you to find out what problem that needs be solved by you for profit.
The more underground work you go through in the second phase will be reflected in the third phase. Understanding yourself in the second phase and working on this understanding in terms of detecting your purpose, having a vision, and crafting your strategy will have an effect in manifesting in the outer world and the marketplace. In this phase, you are launching a new product that solves a real problem for a group of people. Being responsive to the feedback of your market helps you improve your product and keep it sustainable over time.
The journey from an aspiring entrepreneur to a transformational one is a three-phase- disciplined process. It starts with shedding away your obsolete and conditioned identity. Next, going through the agonizing phase of the grey zone where challenges abound but opportunities lurk in the background. The third and final phase is formulating and executing your new and relevant identity.
