Reinvent Yourself: How Entrepreneurship Can Solve the Unemployment Crisis

Had Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank not been fired from their jobs with Handy Dan there would be no Home Depot. Had JK Rowling not been fired from her job as a secretary for the London office of Amnesty International, millions of readers would have not been introduced to Harry Potter.

The Life Affirming Power of Entrepreneurship

If your “job” is not life affirming, why are you there? Here is how you know that you need more than just a job:

1. You have been considering the idea of starting a specific business for years.
2. You are an independent thinker and have the ability to motivate yourself and others.
3. The idea of not having a regular paycheck does not immobilize your initiative.
4. You believe in your dream, and you understand the problems your business will solve.
5. You know your life would not be complete unless you expressed yourself through your own business.
6. If after years of working at different jobs and in various roles you always feel stifled.
7. If you have a vision of starting your own business that will not go away.

The major deterrent from pursing entrepreneurship or a nontraditional career path is, quite simply, fear. There is no running from fear. Our culture has programmed us with all kinds of fear: fear of failure, fear of success, fear of rejection, fear of criticism.

The good news is that we can reprogram our thoughts from fear to thoughts of success. We do this by becoming real clear with ourselves about what it is we want – not what we think others expect or think we should want.

Once we gain clarity on our vision we must take conscious action. As we take conscious action to determine our next steps, we will be able to move courageously through the feeling of fear — false evidence appearing real.

Remember, life is for living, and living requires taking risks. What some may consider a tragedy could be your transition to a more fulfilling life journey.

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Photo Credit: Massimo Dutti

Harold Leffall is President and CEO of The Entrepreneurial Connection. He has been featured in Black Enterprise, Essence and Entrepreneur. His work has been featured in Best Self Atlanta, Making It and National Public Radio. Harold is also the author of Brother CEO: A Business Success Guide for African American Men and Living from Within: Getting to the Heart of True Happiness, Self-Acceptance and Peace.