To be or not to be
When one decides to do something big, one moves way out of their comfort zone. Their heart gets divided into 2 parts. One part tries to drive towards the goal and the other tries to pull away.
In the case of an entrepreneurial goal, one part justifies the risks with the satisfaction of possible fame and riches. The other part focuses on the possibilities of financial instability, inhumanely long hours of work, lack of social life, delayed marriage, and/or unstable relationships.
It helps to have experienced a similar dilemma earlier in life. For me, someone who is keen on pursuing the entrepreneurial path, my early experience of a similar psychological fork in the road was the strenuous and risky trekking of Chokramudi Peak in Kerala, India. At dawn on April 1st 2017, I began the climb to the summit of the 7200 foot mountain peak with my friends. The mountain had many spots, that seemed like the peak, but once we reached those spots, we saw that there was still a lot to climb. At each of these spots, our numbers grew less with people giving up on the climb to the top.
It was summer.The sun was not merciful. At some points we had to use ropes to climb up, and it felt like being in a Mission Impossible scene. Near the end of our trek to the summit there was a big rock creating a steep climb. The guide warned us about the danger, “If you look down you will be unable to move, and you’ll get stuck; if you slip, you will fall down to your death.”
I was a little overweight at that time and not very athletic. This situation was no less than a dare devil stunt for me. A few of those still remaining decided to stop there on the spot. I said to myself, "Ashish, this is it. If you can climb this, you can do anything in life." With that thought, I gathered all my strength and courage, and I climbed the rock. The feeling at the top of the the peak can't be explained in words. I was literally at the top of the world, well all of the world within sight.
This experience had everything in it: a big, seemingly impossible goal; perseverance, when others are giving up; dwindling numbers of friends who keep pushing and supporting you; believing in yourself; taking one step at a time to eventually reach the ultimate goal, and finally the sweet reward of having a satisfied soul.
Whenever I have the choice of to be or not to be, I remind myself of that experience and eventually chose to be.
In the case of an entrepreneurial goal, one part justifies the risks with the satisfaction of possible fame and riches. The other part focuses on the possibilities of financial instability, inhumanely long hours of work, lack of social life, delayed marriage, and/or unstable relationships.
It helps to have experienced a similar dilemma earlier in life. For me, someone who is keen on pursuing the entrepreneurial path, my early experience of a similar psychological fork in the road was the strenuous and risky trekking of Chokramudi Peak in Kerala, India. At dawn on April 1st 2017, I began the climb to the summit of the 7200 foot mountain peak with my friends. The mountain had many spots, that seemed like the peak, but once we reached those spots, we saw that there was still a lot to climb. At each of these spots, our numbers grew less with people giving up on the climb to the top.
It was summer.The sun was not merciful. At some points we had to use ropes to climb up, and it felt like being in a Mission Impossible scene. Near the end of our trek to the summit there was a big rock creating a steep climb. The guide warned us about the danger, “If you look down you will be unable to move, and you’ll get stuck; if you slip, you will fall down to your death.”
I was a little overweight at that time and not very athletic. This situation was no less than a dare devil stunt for me. A few of those still remaining decided to stop there on the spot. I said to myself, "Ashish, this is it. If you can climb this, you can do anything in life." With that thought, I gathered all my strength and courage, and I climbed the rock. The feeling at the top of the the peak can't be explained in words. I was literally at the top of the world, well all of the world within sight.
This experience had everything in it: a big, seemingly impossible goal; perseverance, when others are giving up; dwindling numbers of friends who keep pushing and supporting you; believing in yourself; taking one step at a time to eventually reach the ultimate goal, and finally the sweet reward of having a satisfied soul.
Whenever I have the choice of to be or not to be, I remind myself of that experience and eventually chose to be.
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