I
was told the other day by an associate “It must be wonderful to be such a
success.” I didn’t know what, if
anything, I should say. The comment came
after someone else had mentioned the second book coming out next month and how well
the first book had been received. It got
me thinking about what success means to each of us and to the world in
general. All the usual suspects came to
mind. A nice home, car, healthy family
and partner, a wonderful area in which to live and all the other many things
often sited as manifestations of success.
I then thought about the work I do as a
mentor and educator. For me that is an
astounding expression of success. Each
time I step before a class I learn something from someone in the classroom. It’s a wonderful feeling. Every time I work with a designer to reinvasion
their business I get an insight into my own business. It’s wonderful to see another designer implement
changes we decided on together that take the business to another level. Is that success? I think so.
For me it’s seeing others succeed in whichever way they have defined as
important to them.
As an entrepreneur I have always worked to
live and lived to work. I do take time
for myself but the business is always with me.
That’s what being an entrepreneur is all about. When I first thought about opening my own interior
design business I certainly didn’t consider myself an entrepreneur. As a matter of fact I didn’t even consider
myself a business person. I thought I
was just an interior designer. It seems
so silly now after all these years to think about what I thought I was doing at
the time. It did become quickly apparent
that I would have to be more than an interior designer to earn a living. That’s when the business and entrepreneurial
part of my persona kicked in. That is
when I became a business person.
I wish I could say I was an instant success. Oh, I earned a living and was able to pay all
my bills but there wasn’t enough growth for me.
Once again, another set of business tools had to kick in before I was
able to successfully market and promote my business in a way that brought
better and higher quality jobs and with it a more comfortable income. Nothing wrong with making money, you
know.
That’s the thing about having a dream for
yourself and your business. The way you
first envision it is not necessarily the way it will turn out. Put another way, you may have a dream but be
prepared to change with the reality of your life. Opportunities may come along that weren’t
part of your dream but would be impossible to pass up. Does that mean it’s silly to make plans based
on your dreams? Not at all. Just be ready for the turns and changes that
come along with successful dreams and plans.
That, for me, is what makes being in business and living this life so
much fun.
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