Every successful entrepreneur takes personal responsibility for everything in their lives. I am very grateful I made the decision to become an entrepreneur over 30 years ago. The skills I have developed have served me in every aspect of my life and have overflowed into the lives of those I love.
My most recent example is regarding my health and well being. I have a few quirky things I have been working on with my health. Nothing serious, just little digestive nuisances I have been attempting to find a solution for. I went to my doctor, but wasn’t getting the result I wanted. I was given a prescription for stomach medication, which I was told I would probably need to take the rest of my life. I plan to live a very long life and was not willing to take medication for the next 50 years! I then made a decision to go to a naturopath. That was an excellent decision….she brought me from a zero satisfaction level in what could be done, to about 95% through all the steps we took.
One of the things I discovered is that coffee was causing some of my digestive issue. So I cut it out. Things progressed well, but I found myself missing that cup of coffee. So I searched and found a coffee substitute. I started drinking 1 cup about 10 am each morning, and didn’t have any of the effects I experienced with coffee. I thought I found my solution. After about a month later, I noticed how tired I was feeling every day. I found myself needing a 15 min nap every afternoon shortly after lunch. Thinking it was the magnesium supplement I had been taking, I decided to start taking it at night, when my friend shared with me magnesium relaxes you and makes you sleepy. I tested this for a couple of days, but I still was needing the afternoon nap. The next day I decided to have a coffee and see if it helped. Afterwards, I had tons of energy and didn’t need the nap. I then decided to research natural caffeine sources. It took me to a link to…you guessed it, the coffee substitute I had been drinking.[su_spacer][message type=”custom” width=”100%” start_color=”#FFFFFF” end_color=”#FFFFFF” border=”#fb7200″ color=”# fb7200″]I read the write up on it, and found this coffee substitute – chicory – has a sedative effect which helps relieve sleep disorders. This was fabulous, and, hilarious, to figure out the drink I had been drinking was the very thing making me tired! I never would have thought about this! I should have been drinking it at bedtime, not in the morning when I have a full day ahead of me![/message][su_spacer]
Why am I sharing such a ridiculous story? Because if I hadn’t been an entrepreneur for the last 30+ years, I would not have developed such independence and personal responsibility. Thirty years ago, I was a shy little wallflower, afraid to speak up, afraid to question, afraid to step out of my comfort zone, afraid of “authority”, etc., etc., I would have gone to the dr. and accepted the fact I would need to take stomach medication the rest of my life. I would have been too afraid to question a professional. I would not have had enough self confidence to look for other answers. I would not have had the courage to say, that’s not acceptable, I will find another solution. I would not have searched out a naturopath to take personal responsibility for my health and finding my own solutions. Even though she got me to 95%, if I had not developed my mindset as an entrepreneur, I would not have been continuing to test and raise the bar. 95% is great, but what could I discover in that other 5%? I would not have developed my curiosity and creativity and been willing to find other options, learning new perspectives and possibilities. I would have just thought, I am getting older, everyone loses their energy, everyone seems to have stomach issues., etc. etc.
How many just accept they need all the prescriptions that drs give them? How many accept they can’t do the things they used to do. How many don’t ask what they can do differently to stay healthy? How many just accept there is nothing they can personally do?
The bottom line is, I figured this out…myself. If I had of gone to a dr. I doubt this would have been discovered, because I figured it out by accident, looking for what types of food had caffeine that I could use to replace my coffee. I figured it out because I take personal responsibility for my health and well being. Drs do have their place and we need them for certain things. However, I really believe too many people just accept what they are told, and never question, never research, never attempt to naturally correct simple things, and accept prescriptions and getting “old” as just the way it is. Our bodies are miraculous things and we have the ability to keep ourselves in optimum health without always accepting prescriptions as the only solution.
The moral of this story is the many unexpected personal gifts I have received by making the choice 30+ years ago to become an entrepreneur. The things I have learned, the skills I have developed, the person I have become are things that I never would have gained as an employee.
It isn’t just something they turn on at work. It is a mindset shift that is used in every single aspect of life.
