Entrepreneur’s Thanksgiving

“You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere, and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost.” – Helen Keller

Next week in the United States is Thanksgiving, a holiday to celebrate giving thanks and reflecting on our blessings. Sharing good food and football are generally on the day’s menu. It might be a little unconventional in thought, but I am thinking about the blessings of our business when we encounter challenges, obstacles, fear, and discomfort. Sounds crazy being grateful for problems, right? When I was in the Navy many years ago, there was an expression our boot camp instructors used, “What doesn’t break you will make you.”

Being an entrepreneur and business owner is a big commitment that is proportionate to the freedoms and financial rewards, though perhaps not as quickly as you had hoped for. That’s where perseverance comes into play. What I am trying to say is that being a business owner will bring up all sorts of emotions and issues that you previously were not aware of. Even though we are choosing independence, we need to be okay with being vulnerable and recognizing the areas that we are dependent. This includes being dependent upon our customers for valuing our product or service, on coaches and mentors to give us guidance and advice, and on our friends and family to love and support our ambitions; just to name a few.

So, I am choosing this Thanksgiving to be thankful for those obstacles and problems that we all encounter and experience. They make us better. With every problem, comes the solution, and with every challenge comes  growth. Without fear, we would never experience fortitude, and without adversity, we would never appreciate abundance.

Happy Thanksgiving Nurse Entrepreneurs!