On Changing My Stars, Investing in Passion, and Learning from The Past
Hindsight is 20/20 and having a do-over button in life would be fantastic.
I’ve had more than a few moments I wish I could go back and do over again. When writing, I can use my delete button anytime I want. In life, I’ve come to understand, I have to take the lessons I’ve learned, from the mistakes I’ve made, and commit to making better decisions next time.
One of those times would be at the very beginning of my “entrepreneurial” journey and it would change the singular point of my focus: money.
Isn’t money the whole reason we choose to start a business? One would logically think that.
Hard reality taught me that money is just a tool used to bring your dreams to fruition and to help you invest in your passions. Most serial entrepreneurs focus on important things like new technologies or making the world a better place through their inventions and services.
I have always had an entrepreneurial passion, but my main catalyst early on was trying to do anything I could to make more money. I didn’t care if it was selling trinkets at the flea market or starting a website, I just knew that I had to do something to change my stars.
My Favorite Heath Ledger Movie Inspired Me to Change My Stars
A Knights Tale.
In this comical adventure story, Heath plays a peasant named William Thatcher who is born into poverty and who has an intense drive and desire to become a noble knight. I identify with this character because I also grew up in a not-so-wealthy home environment that fueled my drive to get out of poverty.
During the movie, young William is determined to change his stars and go from a mere peasant to a sword-fighting noble knight. According to the laws of the time, the only people who could become knights and compete in the games were those born into nobility. What would normally be impossible, William found a way to change his life and change his stars.
Two Reasons I Reference This Tale
First, money is an easy thing to focus on when you don’t have enough of it or have the life you would like. It will keep you up at night, it will force you to change your course prematurely or force you to give up on the project altogether. The more you obsess over it, the harder it will become to get where you want to be because you’re looking at a destination rather than the journey itself.
Secondly, William has always been enthralled over becoming a knight and being able to compete in the Knights’ games. His focus was never on just obtaining the money, the riches, or fame. He wanted to become a knight to change his position in life, to improve his status, and to bring a better life for his poor, blind Father. What he wanted most was hope. Because he was able to focus on his invested passions, he was able to hone his sword fighting and jousting skills to become the best, even though he wasn’t born of noble blood.
Business and politics today works in much the same way. It seems that a lot of the big powerful players were born into the money or had a lot of good luck and opportunity in their life. Yes, those people do exist, but they’re the exceptions and not the rules. Behind the scenes, there is a non-stop drive to work to improve and keep pushing day in and day out. It isn’t impossible to change your stars, you just have to be willing to change your circumstances without complaining or regret.
Two Things Will Happen When You Invest in Your Passions
First, because you are investing in your passion, your potential customers will see your dedication to your product or service and be able to feel that passion. This makes for better customer experience and will bolster brand loyalty.
Second, when you are passionate about what you do, you will be able to enjoy it for a lifetime and it will never get old.
Remember That Money Is Just One of the Tools in Your Business Toolbox
Even now, I’m not exactly where I want to be, but I’ve learned that focusing solely on money will rob you of it.
There've been times that I’ve bailed on projects and shut them down because I didn’t have the results that I expected. I didn’t have the results that I expected because my time and efforts weren't properly aligned with the investment in my passions.
Invest in your passion, and money will follow you.
