I live my life by one motto – “live life with no regrets.”
Last week, my husband and I went skydiving for the first time ever. It was a little scary leading up to the jumping point, but once I jumped, I felt like I was a bird soaring through the sky. When I landed, I imagined my later years and what I would say to myself if I had NOT gone skydiving or taken other risks in life.
Many people are afraid of taking risks. They go through life in this comfortable zone, and keep telling themselves “let’s live safely just a little bit longer”, and they miss opportunities that would fulfill them. You know that feeling very well where you know there is something better out there, and you know deep down you’re not currently happy with where you’re at, but you are too afraid to take that leap.
I’ve been there numerous times. I wanted to be a rock star growing up, but after studying music my first year of college, I decided to choose accounting because it seemed a little more practical and would pay the bills. I continue to wonder what I gave up in the process.
I then graduated college with an accounting degree, got into a Big Four firm, got my CPA, and rose up the ranks. Truthfully, I wanted to start my own business shortly after I entered the Big Four, but it took me 9 years to get the courage to do it. I’m not going to lie, it was scary at first not knowing if my business was going to fail or not. However, I decide every day to stick with it regardless of that fear.
Now that I’m here, I will never work for someone else again in my lifetime. It’s hard being a business owner at times, but it’s harder working in a system where you can’t thrive because you’re not wired to fit into a hierarchical, organizational model. Also, all the firms talk about how they are great innovators, but whenever I had an idea, it was usually shot down because it didn’t fit into the organizational model or there was a cost associated with it.
My decision to become an entrepreneur also rubbed off on my husband, who now owns a pet sitting company that operates in 2 states, and he just hit over 150 clients. He also recently expanded his original vision to include selling organic pet treats, and is doing very well at that.
It all goes to show that making a leap into the unknown, whether it is jumping out of a plane, starting a new business, taking up a new hobby, or going up and talking to a random stranger will challenge you and make you a better person.
Instead of asking yourself “what if I fail”, ask yourself, “will I regret NOT taking a leap”?