Be Mindful of What You Chase Everyday as It Defines Who You Become
Shannon L. Alder once said that, ‘If you chase anything in life chase the things that get you excited about living. Chase the things that give you hope, happiness and a glimpse of a better life. Chase the things that make you want to be a better person. Chase the things that inspire you to think, create and live joyfully. Chase the things that reinforce in your soul that you can make a difference. Chase the things that make you want to transform your heart from selfish to selfless. When you chase that kind of storm you are chasing rainbows.’
This couldn’t be far from the truth. All of us are always chasing something. We always have an agenda. We always trying to prove a point. We always trying to be better than the next person when we should be trying to be better than we were yesterday. Every day we always chasing something. But as an entrepreneur, what are you chasing?
As Shannon L. Alder aptly puts it, we must chase what excites us, what makes our environment better. As entrepreneurs, there are things we need to chase to achieve our goals and there are things we need not chase if we are to achieve our deepest desires.
Despite the fact that money is the denominator in everything we do, it’s the last thing that we need to chase. The moment you chase money, then it will run away. Money Is attracted to value and purpose. Money loves a system that makes it grow. It will eschew a desert of ideas. Hence if the entrepreneur’s purpose is to chase money, the destination will be the shore of brokenness. The other thing that one should not chase is the need for titles. This is the aura that feeds the ego that leads to pride that comes before a fall. Let titles chase you. Let the environment that you seeking to change bestow these upon you. Compliments should also be last thing that one seeks to chase.
In Kenya, one thing has become apparent, everyone wants that posh life without the sweat and trials and hardship. This is chasing short cuts. This is trying to live a life that is not for us. Chasing a mirage has become the greatest tragedy of our current entrepreneurial generation. We want to plant today and harvest tomorrow, forgetting that in every sowing, there must be seasons that lead to harvesting. Chasing short cuts has led to the growth of the tenderpreneur generation that has eroded the core principles of entrepreneurship.
The last thing that we must stop chasing as Kenyan entrepreneurs is the need to imitate others. Imitation is the demon of unfair competition that Kenyans are known for so much. This shows just how lazy we have become in terms of thought and vision such that we would rather steal that of others who have worked hard to realise it. This has led to a stunt in growth of diverse businesses because on every corner and office block we are all doing the same thing.
As Kenyan entrepreneurs in an economy that is 50% of the GDP of the East African economy, we can do better. We can stand for something worthwhile that can inform, nurture and mentor future African entrepreneurs. We must chase that which will inform us and make us better. we must pursue education and not the academic one but that which makes us better as people and as entrepreneurs so that whatever we harness we can be able to pass onto the next generation of entrepreneurs. Education is the hallmark of innovation and creativity.
We must pursue meaningful work. We must stand up for something. We must ensure that through our entrepreneurship we change and shape our societies for better. That we must always strive to better those around us with our work.
One thing is very clear that we always need help and hence we must always be ready to help others. This is the glue that nurtures the networks that we all need to grow and be better entrepreneurs. We must help others, for greatness is achieved when we help those who need it. Through this, if we pursue what is good and of purpose to humanity, then happiness and love will be easy to find. When we pursue happiness and love, then the rest which is money, will be ours to possess and control.
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