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Have you come to the realization that you want something truly different in your life?
Sometimes people are transformed by a single event. Maybe they came down with cancer, or went through a divorce, or they dealt with the loss of a parent. Out of that, they felt the need for change—change in their life and work that is significant and meaningful. They were not happy with their life as it existed, and they felt that a drastic change of course was required.
Other times, people may experience a “slow build” towards a transformation. Tony Robbins refers to this as a “stacking of events.”
I recently attended the World Domination Summit conference in Portland Oregon. It’s an amazing but oddly named conference that is less about “world domination” and more about “world contribution.”
The summit’s host, iconic author Chris Guillebeau posed this very question, ‘When did you know you wanted something different?’
My answer to this central question was more about an awakening than about an event. Through my adult life to that point, I had followed a very traditional path of college, graduate school, corporate track, marriage/wife/children, mortgage on my suburban house, 401(k), etc.
The Great Recession of 2008 brought a layoff. I fought through that and ultimately landed back on my feet. But a subsequent business failure led me to start to question if the corporate path I was on was right for me. Slowly but surely, I had awakened to a world of small-scale entrepreneurship, side-gigs, writing, and more. I discovered that I did want something different.
I wanted more income, but I also craved purpose and control. Two different parts of me were really coming alive. One was a writer. I started blogging and wrote a book. The other was a coach. Coaching entrepreneurs was what I had loved about being a venture capitalist.
So when did you know that you wanted something different? If you’re an entrepreneur, when did you discover that the corporate world wasn’t meeting your needs?
Do you feel like you have been climbing a ladder, only to learn that the ladder is on the wrong building? (credit that phrase to Emily McDowell, founder of Emily McDowell Studios)
All mid-life entrepreneurs go through a realization like this one – “I am ready for something different.” That is the realization that gets you to explore a new path. But rather than take a new job, your something different is starting a business. HOLY CRAP, right?!
The path you have been on in your professional career has led you to your current spot. You have made career choices, and life choices, which have landed you here.
But you know you want something more.
More financial benefits from your hard work.
More control over the location and hours that you work.
More freedom to travel and take vacation and be with family and friends.
More ability to define your tasks, define your day, and define your job.
More control over the outcome.
More purpose in the work.
This realization—“I want more. I am ready for something different”—is both extremely liberating and incredibly scary. After all, you have already committed to a path in your life. How can you make a radical shift off of that path?
How the hell do you jump off a moving train?
Whether it was a big-bang event, or a slow awakening like mine, the realization that you want to jump off that train becomes the backbone for pursuing your business and personal dreams. The realization is deep, and often unshakable. This is your “WHY.”
Your WHY is both your carrot and your stick. It pulls you when you need pulling, and smacks you in the ass when you need a smack.
Your WHY gets you up in the morning to write that blog post, or helps you find the motivation when you’re ready for bed to work on that landing page.
Here’s the thing though. Something different doesn’t have to mean radical shifts all at once. You don’t have to quit your accounting job in Little Rock, move to Costa Rica, and start selling your nature photographs. (Yeah, that’s an option, certainly). But it’s not the only option.
The power of realizing that you DO IN FACT want something different is that it lets you explore with little fear of failure. You don’t have to quit your 9-5 (at least not just yet).
When you know, deep down, that you are ready for something different, you wake up early and on weekends to push your side business. Or to test your idea. Or to do a little freelancing and bring in some extra cash.
You lit a small fire. You’re blowing on the flame, feeding it kindling, helping it grow into an inferno that no one can put out.
The world is ready for you. Embrace your own “something different”!
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If you’re ready for something different, but still working on your idea, check out my Free Guide: 4 Simple Steps to Your best Business Idea
Get your guide here
