It Took A While to Realize That I Too Was Born This Way

Sometimes Daily
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An abstract duality

There are people who come into our lives for different purposes. The kindred connection I get sometimes with not-so-random strangers sets off an alarm to my mental stability. But then I remember how interconnected we really are, even if it’s taboo to feel a connection with those outside of our immediate circles.

Then there are people who serve a greater purpose. Those who come to this earth to remind the quiet girl on a train that life is more than just what you make of it. Life is embracing the reality you choose to make your own. It was at this moment that I realize that after all this time, it took an eccentric girl from my old stomping grounds to tell me that I, too, was born this way.

It takes a special kind of person to understand the lifestyle of an entrepreneur. There are some who drop out of college, find some rich people to give them loads of cash so they can build a conglomerate. Many of us aren’t that connected or lucky, however you choose to define luck. Sometimes we toil away for years and barely scratch the surface. Other times we spend an eternity only to find that each obstacle became a chapter in our eventful journeys. Everyone’s trajectory is different and even though many entrepreneurial tales are similar, how we deal with it is as unique as can be.

The truth is, this lifestyle is not for everyone. Sometimes it’s not for those who do choose to pursue an entrepreneurial lifestyle. Many of worthy opponents have crashed and burned. But I’ll be damned if I have to confine myself to the damnation that is cubicle hell. I remember one time, throwing in the towel and when I went back to traditional employment. I cried for 2 weeks at my cubicle which says alot for the girl who doesn’t cry…publicly. It was more than shame. It was a punishment from something. As I look back now, I didn’t really know what that something was but I knew sitting in an office working by someone else’s rules was not it. I wanted more and it took years to accept the fact that it’s ok to want more.

You see there more people than not, who are content with what they have. Not everyone is aspirational. Not everyone wants to do or be more than what or where they are. That’s fine. Setting goals beyond your reach and outside of one’s comfort zone is not for just anyone.

Who raises their hands to constantly getting knocked down each time they try to do something new?

As I recall, there are plenty of psychology classes that teach students about this very thing about behavior modification as it relates to motivation and action. So I ask again, who volunteers to enter a world where you’ll get berated more times than not, where you’re constantly under a microscope, where you second guess your every move, where few people understand why you’re up until 3am many nights? It’s not easy and most people want easy. Drudging along the rat race is easy. Standing behind ideologies that we’re somehow supposed to choose between work and pleasure is no way to live, but many do and they’re ok with it. They can be ok with it, for them. But for me, well I want more. Why?

Because I was born this way.

Standing in line with the masses and following rules set before me was never in my DNA. And yes it took 30+ years to realize this in a way that makes sense for me. It’s a rather empowering moment to fully understand why you do the things you do when it goes against what others are taught to do. Many people don’t get it. Even those that say they do, don’t really. Not unless they’re in the bubble with you.

This culture is not about labels. It’s deeper than a job title. It’s about fulfilling a purpose, sometimes a purpose greater than yourself. It’s about designing the reality you want to accept. Sacrificing everything you are to become someone who you’re not even familiar with is a scary concept. But it’s embracing this fear that sets us apart from the masses. It’s that fear that fuels our spirit and gives us the wings we need to soar.

It took listening to Lady Gaga to realize this. This is the beauty of intention. When you believe in the laws of attraction, inspiration comes to you when you need it the most. And for one moment on a pre-summer Monday evening, it took one song to remind me of something that my subconscious was keeping from my conscious mind. In a world where there are so many different people, yes, we entrepreneurs are also born this way.