10 years ago this month, I was thinking about creating an LLC.
I'd been freelancing for years and had started thinking that I might, maybe, possibly have a chance at an official business…
I would cost me. It takes money to file that LLC paperwork. Not to mention the mindset shift—putting myself out there as a business owner. An entrepreneur. 10 years ago today, I was wondering if I should risk it.
Spoiler: I did. I officially filed my business with the NC Secretary of State on Nov. 2nd, 2012.
So in a month, I'll be able to say that I've had my company for over 10 years—a milestone reached by only 33% of startups.
If I could travel back in time to 10 years ago, there are so (SO) many things I'd be tempted to tell myself. Because some of it has been painful. But all of it has been a learning experience.
So, I guess if I could go back, I'd actually only tell myself one thing: “Just start—take the risk. You'll figure the rest out. And the stuff you’ll learn along the way will be well, well worth it.”
- Dr. Sarah Glova, Co-Editor of 8&21 and CEO of Reify Media
Yes, and…
Speak in front of a large crowd? No problem! Perform at open mic? Absolutely! Make a toast? Deliver a eulogy? Host an event? Check! Check! Check!
But ask me to do group improv—a 60-second sketch acting out a fairytale, without any time to plan or rehearse? Yikes! That's outside my comfort zone. Like, a solar system away from my comfort zone.
Many times, my improv attempts fall terribly flat. But, sometimes, as a group, when we summon our creativity and our bravery, we create a magical moment.
And it's because of those magical moments that I keep taking the risk, again and again, every week.
- Dr. Sarah Egan Warren, Co-Editor of 8&21 and Student of “Yes, and…”
An astronaut says…
“Everything worth doing in life has risk.
Taking a test, getting married, getting a drivers license, all of those things, they give you an approved capability or an improved richness in life, but they all come with a degree of risk.
But the question you really need to ask is—do I want to learn to walk? Do I want to ride this bike? Do I want to get married? Do I want to learn to drive a car? What risks are worth taking in my life?
And in my case when you make it through that launch, when you’ve guided that rocket up through the atmosphere and the engine shuts off, suddenly you’re in the rarest of human experiences. You’re weightless, and the world is pouring by at five miles a second, and you can see across an entire continent and you’re peering into something that is brand new for humanity.
So I think it’s worth asking yourself: ‘What risks are worth taking?’ And once you’ve decided to take them, then change who you are so that you can win, you can defeat, you can master that thing and open a door for yourself that otherwise was just shut.”
- Chris Hadfield, Canadian astronaut
(Excerpts from a quote that was featured in “To lead a great life, you must learn how to take risks” on www.bigthink.com)
Another astronaut perspective
“Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination,
your creativity, or your curiosity.
It’s your place in the world; it’s your life.
Go on and do all you can with it,
and make it the life you want to live.”
- Mae Jemison, M.D., astronaut and first African-American woman in space
Great job!
Way to take a pause and give 3 minutes to your practice of pursuing awesome
by exploring this issue's theme. You rock!
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