For a few years now, I’ve been thinking that the next stage of my life will involve starting my own business and then putting my humanitarian plan into action. I’ve read several business books and done a good bit of other research to prepare for this but I still feel like I’m no closer to entrepreneurship than when I first had this idea. Then I had a realization while I was at work. Instead of putting aside my humanitarian goals until I’m in a better financial situation, why not do what I can with what I have right now? I may not be able to organize, donate, and help people now as much as I’d like to, but I can still make a positive difference by taking advantage of opportunities that present themselves. Doing what I can now will let me develop skill at many things that will help me with my bigger plans later on, both in charitable action and in business. Plus getting into the habit of living a charitable lifestyle will make it easier for me to help even more people when I have more resources; if I’m not in the habit of giving now, it will be much harder for me to get into that habit later.
I don’t think much about entrepreneurship but I think about my humanitarian plan almost every day. That may be a sign that I should focus first on the charitable stuff and come back to the business stuff later. Other people have done it differently but I’m not other people and I’m not here to do things that other people do. Having gotten a behind-the-scenes look at some of what it takes to run a successful business and still being largely clueless about what type of business I’d like to have, I think it’s best to put that stuff on the back burner for the foreseeable future.
The timing of this is perfect as I’ve recently been given a particularly special opportunity that I’m sure will do a lot to prepare me for my future plans on a smaller, more manageable scale. I can’t wait to try out my ideas and see what works and what needs adjustment. The serendipity surrounding this special opportunity is part of the excitement I’ve felt as of late, especially in connection with this realization. When I can, I’ll update you on how this plays out. For now, I’ll close by saying that I’ve felt much better since I received this realization and I’m excited to see where it goes.