Should you do what you know will sell or what you love?
Over the years I have seen so many sides to this argument but I always come back to the same thing – do you want to be happy in your business?
Right now, I am watching my 15-year-old try to make decisions about his next steps.
He is expected to know what he wants to do with his life, when he is only beginning to discover who he is. The process of stuffing yourself into a box starts at a young age.
Nothing is really calling him. He needs to live life a bit to discover who he is. But he still has to make a decision and the clock is ticking louder by the day. The labels are calling – will he be a scientist or an artist because never the twain shall meet, apparently.
He has two parents who tried to bridge this gap and we have, eventually, managed it in our own ways but the school system did not help. Our qualifications did not help. It was pursuing what created a spark that got us there.
And this is why labels keep you stuck in an old version of who you are as an entrepreneur. So many of my clients have outgrown their labels and have no idea how to reshape their business to “feel right”. They don’t know how to be themselves in business.
After a lifetime of being pushed into that box by external forces the simple notion of abandoning it can feel terrifying. We all want security and reassurance that we will be able to meet our needs through our businesses. Finding a different expression doesn’t have a visible safety net and the level of perceived risk is vast. There’s a lot on the line for you and your family, it’s not a decision to take lightly.
But there’s also your happiness on the line.
Doing what you love transforms how you feel about your business. It brings you happiness. It gives you the boost to explore and discover your unlimited potential. It also sparks innovation that leads humanity into new territory and I am not sure you can put a price on that.
Because I support my clients to find themselves and their future business, it is a no brainer for me. But I never underestimate the courage that first step takes nor all the ones that come after it. When I begin work with a new client on a business restoration journey, I am totally up front about the wobbles they need to expect.
Those times when they feel the safety of the old calling. The times when they are being pushed to expand their perception and comfort zone and want to yell at me for taking them into this uncomfortable place. The times when their self-belief falters. The times when fear takes the reins. The times when the tears flow and flow.
And then I tell them I will be there no matter what and I will get them through to the other side to discover a business designed for them that will grow with them. No more boxes, no more labels, no more limits. That’s my promise.
Creating a business that shapes the future is not the easy path but it is where you discover who you are and what you are capable of.
You are not defined by the market; you are built to shape it.
Inside of you is a wonderfully complex yet simple business waiting to be born. It takes all that you know and are and creates a new wave of thinking and action that breaks down the old labels. You have the power to create new fields and markets which will lead life forward. Your future business is not just a game changer but a world changer.
When the label becomes a weight, you can no longer bear, it’s time to stop doing what sells and start doing what you love. Take that first step.
Press the button!