Let’s Empower Ourselves and Finally Stop Believing In Our Parent’s Promises

By Danny Holtschke

Once Peter wrote a letter to his parents. It started this way …

Mum and Dad,

WHAT IF I don’t want to be safe? WHAT IF I lost faith in your generation’s career approach working for that corporation or worst — for that government?

Just to be safe? Who or what is safe anyway?

Don’t get me wrong. I am extremely thankful that you saved an incredible amount of money to allow me to go to Uni. Thanks — but no thanks.

The truth is: I don’t believe in your generations’ promises. Go to University. Study hard. Get a degree and life’s worries are gone — forever.

What might have been true for you, isn’t true for me anymore. I am confronted with a complete new set of challenges.

I don’t blame you for making career decisions for me back then. It WAS your job as parents. But my job NOW is to make the right decisions that feel right for my life and career.

And I know that my challenges are hard for you to relate to because you are not in your mid-twenties. You aren’t making career decisions right now. Of course, you ‘only’ worry about my future. About my life. And I get this — even though it’s hard at times. *lol*

BUT WHAT IF I choose myself? WHAT IF I take my turn — knowing that it’s always my turn?

At first, this might sound crazy. It might even be frightening — it is certainly for me! BUT what do I have to lose?

Right! Nothing!

Except the risk of not trying. The risk of not bringing in my true strengths. My true talents. I want to explore them and gift them back to our world.

In return, I make four promises!

Promise#1: I won’t ask for permission.

Our education system is failing. The only important thing left is that weird certificate — the necessary evil to join the corporate world. Most people acknowledge that the skills I learn in University are not valuable once I start working.

Schools and universities fail to teach me all the things required to succeed in life: The art of selling. The art of convincing. The art of copywriting. The art of managing oneselves. The art of managing teams. The art of leading a tribe.

The art of getting stuff done. The art of staying sane. The art of maintaining healthy relationships. The art of maintaining a healthy body and mind. The art of everything in life … Things like how to deal with failure and rejection.

The need to be recognized as the winner destroys your ability to take your turn, because taking your turn requires you to be willing to not win.” — Seth Godin, What to do when it’s your turn

These are NOT artificial concepts. NOT theoretical things. They are life practices that we apply every day — some more unconsciously than others.

I want to learn more about and pro-actively apply them by starting my own projects. Allowing me to live a life outside the industrial world, outside of huge corporations, stressy agencies, and consultancies.

Promise #2: I will ask for forgiveness — if necessary.

I imagined myself sitting on a bench at an age of 100. I imagined myself thinking about all the things I would potentially regret in life…

Do I really think I would regret having tried to follow my heart and start this side project? Do I think I would regret taking the leap? Unleashing my potential? Growing beyond my wildest dreams?

No! What I would regret, though, is not trying!

I can turn anything into something. If lucky, a side project even into a startup. An ebook into a personal brand. A ‘Kickstarter’ campaign into the next mainstream brand.

BUT even if I don’t reach the heights of whatever … it really doesn’t matter because I tried.

What is worse than trying and failing? Not trying.

That’s THE only sure thing.

I want to embrace it. I want to be vulnerable and start in a humble way — step by step. I want to pursue my entrepreneurial dreams.

Promise #3: I will be patient and…

I know it’s so hard to fall into ‘the I want everything now trap’. ‘I can’t be patient because my friends have already achieved so much more trap’.

It’s kind of the dark side of our society not to engage in something long-term. I fight this ‘daily short-term gain and pleasure thinking’. I commit long-term.

I want to overcome this ‘I want everything now bullshit’. I want to overcome this ‘bullshit economy’. Who is happy anyway? Who isn’t rushed? Who told us not to pursue our entrepreneurial dreams?

I consider all these mind fucks. Lies we tell ourselves that prevent us from choosing ourselves. From starting.

And it’s ok that they are there. I am observing them as they are deeply ingrained in our society. Nobody really knows where they come from. It also doesn;t matter to know where they come from as long as I am aware of them, observe the mindfucks when they come up and I am not influenced by them.

I simply want to be aware of my mind fucks — to realize that they shouldn’t be the reason of not trying. Of not starting.

Once started, I want to be patient and hardworking to move forward daily.

Promise #4: …hardworking to move forward daily.

It’s a unique time to create and build stuff.

We are moving to a society without employees. — James Altucher, Choose Yourself

I want to become part of the Entrepreneurial Revolution. I don’t want to get sucked into the corporate world! I want to practice and make progress daily — applying fundamental lifelong entrepreneurial skills and master the right habits.

Why not choose myself?

WHY NOT start living the life I want? The life I dream about?

Mum, Dad — truth assured. I am already happy and extremely excited while writing these lines. And I know that you will be happy as long as you see me being happy, doing, learning, and personally growing — even though you might not be able to show.

But deep down I know you love me and want me to be happy and healthy. (btw I love you, too! Also, I have a hard time showing it.)

Ah … AND I am not afraid to disappoint you any longer. I am not looking for approval anymore. But I will ask for forgiveness — if required. But please don’t expect me to ask for permission.

Because I am inspired and follow the thousands of entrepreneurs that started their journeys before me — also with a first, single, small step.

I will become one of them.

Your overall ambitious kid :)

Invitation to write a letter to your parents

Hi, thanks for reading that far. I hope you enjoyed.

BUT reading isn’t enough.

Please write a similar letter or adjust this one here, and put it into an envelop. Make it a handwritten version. You don’t actually need to give it to your parents. By writing the letter and putting it into an envelop, your mind already thinks it’s done.

No real need to bother your parents, unless you want to confront them with your fears, desires, and ambitions. Show them that you want to take responsibility for your life.

ALSO, please copy, change and share this version.

I want you to build on my thoughts.

I invite you to develop your own beliefs. Write down your own promises and share them with your family and friends or here on StartupGeist.

I am looking forward to reading your promises.

I love you

— more so, I love your actions and willingness to overcome your self-limiting beliefs because I know from experience how hard it is.

Ok then, unlock your StartupGeist. Take action NOW — to get free access to the StartupGeist KnowHow, click here.