What Does It Mean To Be An Entrepreneur?

So what does it mean?

Lots of questions from your family, friends, teachers and everybody who comes into contact with you. Lots of doubt. Lots of failures, regrouping, trying again, sacrifice and determination.

This journey isn't for the faint of heart. It's a battle. A daily one that doesn't care if you're sick or in the best shape of your life. A mental one that tires you but gives you unbounded energy at the same time like you wouldn't believe possible unless you experienced it. Entrepreneurship is your personal story of perseverance.

Being an entrepreneur above all else comes down to believing in yourself like no one else.

I've had the following experience countless times now:

"What're you doing these days?"

Working on my business X or my project Y.

What about school? Any plans of attending this year?

Nope.

Oh, I do hope you change your mind about that. A college education opens doors you'd otherwise find a hard time opening.

Thanks. (but no thanks) I'm an entrepreneur. My school is the Internet. I learn what I want, when I want, how I want. I use my learned skills to make progress on either my business X or my project Y.

If you're an #entrepreneur, this probably sounds familiar.

I think we're called to go 'left'. Even and especially when the world goes 'right'. We must go 'left'. Something deep inside us moves us to, even as something within the other person compels them not to.

To me being an entrepreneur means waking up every day and figuring it all out. There is no textbook. No guide. No real process that can cover the entirety of this experience. But there are textbooks, guides and processes that can be learned from and a very subjective lesson distilled.

Being an entrepreneur is about taking in information the average person discards as useless and keeping it in cold storage until the place it fits is finally discovered. It's the process of constant learning. About one's business and project yes, but also about oneself. It's taught me more about myself than I believe any college education or job could have in the space of time it did.

Belief in yourself, it's a necessary prerequisite to being an entrepreneur.

Jarryon