Building character through entrepreneurship
Inspired by a short article with the same title over on Dr. Jeff Cornwall’s blog, today I’d like to talk briefly about how entrepreneurship can build character, and how you can do the same even if you’re not an entrepreneur.
Dr. Cornwall references a post that lists five reasons why entrepreneurship improves your life. For those of you who like Cliff Notes, the five reasons headline as:
- You’re going to be tested
- You’re going to fail
- You’re going to learn patience
- You’re going to have a major impact on people
- You’re going to develop character
That number five is somewhat more of an outcome of numbers one through four more than a reason in itself. In supporting that last point, the post suggests:
…through the pursuit, you will obtain rewards of character. And the development of sound character is perhaps the most important perk of entrepreneurship. At the end of the day, no one really cares how much money you made. They care about who you are.
What I’d like to suggest today is that you don’t have to start a business, or even consider yourself an entrepreneur, to reap the same benefits within your life. However, you do have to embrace the qualities of entrepreneurship. For to be tested, to fail, to learn patience, to have a major impact on others and therefore to develop character, you will have to:
Take a Risk and Do Something Big!
You don’t have to start your own business, but you will have to get out of your comfort zone. You don’t have to look for investors, but you will have to sell your idea to other people. You don’t have to risk your financial well-being, but you will have to risk some personal embarrassment. You don’t have to change the world, but you do have to change your world.
Growth does not come from the status quo. To grow you need to stretch your wings, challenge yourself (and maybe others), and to the important points made above, be willing to experience short-term discomfort, even failure, for long-term growth and development.
“Big” is relative. For one person, a big risk might simply be asking their boss out to lunch, for someone else it might be volunteering to run a new division. Whatever you choose, be honest with yourself that it is truly “big”, that it will truly challenge you and presents a real chance for failure. Remember – nothing risked, nothing gained.
Here’s my challenge to all of you: leave a comment to this post and tell me (and the world) what big risk you plan on taking before the end of the year, and what personal growth you hope to get out of it. If I get at least 3 comments, then I’ll tell you the big risk I’m taking and what I hope to get out of it.
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