Sell everything you own. Maybe not your laptop or phone. And keep some clothes. But get rid of everything else. It’s cluttering your house and your brain.
Buy plane tickets for a country half way around the world 3–6 months in advance. This deadline is critical and immovable. It’s important to choose a country you’ve never been to before and have no connections to.
Quit your professional job. The pay may be decent, but you can always get another one. You’re moving half way across the world! Who needs security?
Get on a 13 hour flight. Mildly panic. Realise you’re leaving everything behind. Panic a bit less mildly. Make a pledge to yourself that you’ll manage to figure everything out when you land.
Land. Hustle like you’ve never hustled before.
The startup movement is contagious. If you have a friend who is self-employed, the bug will bite. If you follow “lifestyle entrepreneurs” on Instagram, the bug will bite. As Gary Vaynerchuk stated in a recent article:
Entrepreneurship is hard and it’s not for everyone….. We are absolutely living through the greatest generation of fake entrepreneurship that we’ve seen in a long time.
While I agree with Gary that entrepreneurship is hard, I do think that it is for everyone. There are many people out there running startups that have no idea what they’re doing. Isn’t that a part of the process? We attempt to solve a problem and either succeed or fail and learn a lesson. Some of the people that have no idea what they’re doing happen to create some of the best ideas. The true issue is motivation and inspiration.
Since starting a business, I’ve had quite a few conversations with acquaintances. Many people have dreams of being their own boss. There are two big excuses:
1. Waiting for the right idea
2. Not having enough ambition
Both of these excuses are either a lack of motivation or inspiration. You’re “stuck”. So how do you get unstuck? While you don’t have to move across the world and start from a clean slate, it will light a fire under your butt. You’ll read hundreds of blogs that tell you to quit your job and take the plunge. Yes, that will work, but what if you’re not there yet?
A more reasonable approach to being stuck is to take a small risk. Take a project on at work that is outside of your comfort zone. Maybe you’re not 100% confident that you’ll succeed. You’ll need consequences for failing (nothing too drastic though). Go on a weekend away by yourself where you’ll know no one. Don’t bring a detailed schedule and map. Get lost in a new city. Start surfing. Put yourself in a situation where you’ll feel embarrassment. The most important thing is to take yourself out of your daily schedule of safety and comfort.
Inspiration and motivation will strike if there’s a bit of fear. Get out there and make yourself uncomfortable, and you’ll immediately get unstuck.
Samantha Piane CEO Otto + Reid
ottoandreid.co.nz