By Hipolito Navarrete, Managing Editor/Publisher
“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” – Plato
There is a tendency to look elsewhere for opportunities once we feel stuck. If we feel prepared to do something different, no matter what, it will make the choice to pursue other paths a lot easier, if you feel you can load carts, drive cars, create art, we tend to look for someone who will give us a shot, an opportunity. However, most business folks are looking for someone who can make them more money. Either through strengthening their operational process, their human resources or by helping them sell more units, it is never about who you are, but what you can help their organizations do better, and then they will care about who you are.
The soul grinding of self-assessment is always a necessary process that all individuals must endure as we fight to succeed in our chosen career. And the operating word is chosen. As you assess your skills; the ability to do something well; expertise; a particular ability; you must be truly honest about what you are able to do with effectiveness and with ease. Finding the talent takes experimentation and the willingness to try many different opportunities. This works if you are a high school or college student who does not need to work to pay for his living, although that is also mostly untrue for college students and now a days unfortunately, some high school kids. Money has now also become an impediment to access to public services and public opportunities.
So if you are a working person who feels stuck and uncomfortable with the current paid occupation, what do you do? First thing first, make sure you protect your financial present, do not allow your emotional discomfort to push you to make a choice that you will regret or put you or your family in financial straits. Find out what you can do better in your current job, so that you can start getting better at a transition up or out of your current situation. If you are not employed, your challenge also includes not letting yourself be managed by the fear and the need to survive. You must keep developing those skills until you are either financially benefiting from your skills through a company or through your own entrepreneurial efforts. Many folks that advice that you follow your heart, are either just well meaning or naïve, they also may have a very good idea of what they want to do and have the skills to create an opportunity for themselves as entrepreneurs or in another job that will allow them to use those skills, you need to find your path as it is open through your skills. As a society, we look down at those that try and fail, but we revere those that actually make money as a result of pursuing their vision, whatever that may be. Do you know what your personal vision for your future is? Do you know what skills you need to develop in order to get there? What are the financial implications in the present to follow this vision? Ask entrepreneurs how they face their daily tasks that help them maintain and evolve their mission.
Elon Musk is one of the most celebrated entrepreneurs in the scientific community, he was able to pursue his vision because he is a scientist, he understands the nuances of the world he moves in, he has a bachelor of science in Physics and an economics degree from Wharton, those are the skills that allow him to assess how his companies are moving through the details, and why he is irreplaceable as CEO of his several organizations. Would you be able to understand the details of the career choice you want to pursue? Would you be able to see the opportunities and challenges that others do not see? Would you be able to manage and maneuver through challenges that will be there despite the progress you will make, some challenges because of the organization and another because of the limitations of others to not understand the goal or the mission you are pursuing?
Try innovating and testing ideas, if you have a skill such as an illustrator or a public speaker or as a mentor. Cultivate in yourself the sense of curiosity; try something just because you are curious. You must always take the time to develop yourself into the position that you want to hold, the person you want to be and the allow yourself the decision to change your mind and pursue other experiences that you will discover hold more sway for you. Be your most important developmental experiment, this will help you become a natural innovator and sought after business partner.
