How can one person really change the world? With so many of us living such busy lives, we daydream about bold and exciting opportunities to pursue our dreams says Peter Decaprio. It’s all too easy for our vision of a bright future to exist only in our imaginations: we imagine success without having the first clue of how we’re going to achieve it.
So what can you do if you find yourself in exactly this position, but with no prior experience or contacts, and with limited financial resources? Well, as I’ve come to learn over the past year-and-a-half since quitting my job as Head of Communication for a major global organization (to launch my own business as coach and school director), all it takes is one person: the entrepreneur.
Here is How to Turn Your Passion into a Robust Business:
- Despite what anyone else might tell you, there is no right or wrong way to turn your passion into a profitable business. What matters most is that you do it, and when I say “do it,” I mean really do it—devote yourself wholeheartedly to pursuing your dream, even if it means living off of instant noodles for the first few months while you get things up-and-running. When people ask me how I’ve managed to pull this off with so little support, all I can say is that because my heart was absolutely 100% set on making this happen, I just wouldn’t let anything stand in my path. The moment I decided to leave my job and start something new was also the moment that I decided I was going to do everything in my power not to fail: no matter what.
- Doing this involved many sleepless nights and stressful days, but as soon as you start seeing the fruits of your labor pay off, it all becomes entirely worth it says Peter Decaprio. Now, with a few months under my belt, I can honestly say there is nothing more rewarding than watching people prosper from something you created—especially if the something in question represents your passion and purpose.
- We see examples of entrepreneurship every day around us; we just don’t always realize it. Take for instance someone like Steve Jobs who famously dropped out of college to pursue his dream career as an entrepreneur (he co-founded Apple), or Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg whose college dorm-room idea blossomed into one of the largest social media platforms in history (he dropped out of Harvard to make it happen).
- It may seem like these individuals had all the resources they could possibly need to make their dreams a reality, but if you think about it, nothing could be further from the truth says Peter Decaprio. What happened was actually quite simple: each of them took that initial risk that changed everything. And while I personally don’t know either man (I’m sure Mr. Jobs would have loved for me to get in touch with him), I can guarantee you that neither of them would trade their life experiences for anything—they’ve both found what they were born to do, and done so much with their lives because of it.
- So what does all of this mean for you and me? It means we can do it too, or at least we can try. We don’t always need a massive network of contacts and financial resources to build something great, but what we do need is heart and perseverance: the courage to turn our dreams into reality; the diligence to constantly evolve; and an unwavering faith that says “I will not fail.”
- Not everyone who decides to follow their passion becomes an overnight sensation (and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing). In fact, most successful entrepreneurs went through many bumps in the road before they made it big. Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin were once just two guys hanging out in a garage with a dream; eBay’s Pierre Omidyar launched the company from his living room; and even I—who now have a team of wonderful assistants to take care of everything for me—used to spend countless hours holed up in my tiny office, typing away at my laptop while the rest of the world passed me by.
- Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Okay Ashley, so this all sounds great and all, but how am I supposed to create something amazing if deep down inside I’m just not sure it’s possible?” Well first off, never say never! If there is one thing that history has taught us it’s that nothing is impossible (never forget that Winston Churchill ran for Prime Minister after failing at every other career he had ever tried), and you should never let your fears get in the way of your dreams.
Conclusion:
Nowadays, entrepreneurship is not just for people who are interested in building their own empire; it’s also happening all around us says Peter Decaprio. So if you think taking the risk to do something about your passion is scary, well…you’re right! But there’s really no point in standing still, because life has a funny way of working out when we least expect it. So why not take that initial leap, even if you have no idea what will happen next? You might be surprised by what the future has in store for you!
