How My ‘Entrepreneurial’ Journey has Shaped who I am Today
My quest for success, through the peaks and the valleys of entrepreneurial-lenses has molded who I am today.
It has been over a year now since I impulsively quit my job and embarked on my own quest for success. I’ve learned more this year, than possibly the last five combined from serendipitous interactions and many mistakes. Although it’s certainly not been easy, I couldn’t imagine my life any other way, and I’m incredibly grateful for the circumstances and individuals who supported me along the way.
Through hardship, failures, and an unwavering commitment to success, I’ve transformed into an entirely different person, with a new set of routine habits. I thought I’d reflect on my journey and mention some of the habits that are here to stay.
I write daily
I’m not quite sure how I got by before without my notebook — I think at one point, I thought it was silly and outdated for a 20-something year old to be taking notes on paper… especially when you’re in the tech industry; what a silly thought. I’ve now mastered my indexing system and have gone through several journal inserts, titled Meetings, Self-Growth, and Development (programming). Everywhere I go, so does my notebook — ready to capture some tip, interaction, or reflection that could be used to solve something later on.
I read daily
I live a life rooted in belief that continued self-development is the most important virtue, period. So much in fact, that it’s one of our company’s primary values. Truthfully I don’t care how or what you learn, so long as you are learning. Although I’d like to read more books, I have become accustomed to reading several articles daily, typically on Medium — from programming to investment, entrepreneurship to culture, I make a point to learn something new daily, and take notes on it.
I’ve become a much better listener
I believe my first point, writing daily, has greatly contributed to me becoming a better listener — especially when taking notes in meetings, and having to pay attention to what’s being said as I’m writing. Listening is one of the most fundamental skills that a great leader should have, and unfortunately, this is not always the case. Many people in authority-positions think that because they’re the boss, what they say is more important than anyone else, and this could not be further from the truth. A great leader is someone who empowers others, encourages diversity-of-thought, listens to what they have to say, and asks questions.
I’ve become a much better communicator
Learning to communicate effectively is one of the hardest skills to master — and one that requires the constant desire to improve upon. As a leader, it’s your job to communicate clearly, with intent and purpose, and although at times what you need to get across is not easy, a great leader can take what would otherwise be critical, and turn it into something constructive. I’ve learned this the hard way. At various times in my life, I would call my friend and mentor Barry and vent to him in frustration how I caused some tension and managed to create animosity in the process. He’d shake his head and tell me that he guarantees he would have been able to say the exact same thing, in a more diplomatic and easily approachable manner, so as to not create necessary tension.
Diplomacy is certainly an art, and through being absolutely terrible at it, I’ve learned how to be slightly better. One method I use is when I know I have to initiate some confrontation, I write my thoughts down first so that I don’t lose my cool. I try and approach the conversation from good intent and empathy, and let the person know that I care about them and want to see them grow.
I’ve become more resilient to life’s twists and turns, even embracing them with a smile. One of my core philosophies is that hardship now is a lesson learned for another day — a day made easier because of a previous lesson learned.
This is a developing article and I’ll continue to add.
Thank you for reading.
