Summer is a great time to tap into your passions, start thinking of the future, get some experience and even maybe start a business of your own.
Do You Have an Entrepreneurial Spirit?
The dictionary defines an entrepreneur as a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.
The key words here are initiative and risk. You have to ask yourself is: Am I willing to take risks? Can I handle failure? The answer for both of these questions must be YES! Every endeavor will have risks and if you are starting your own business this risk will most probably be greater but the key is realizing that even though there is always a possibility of failure, it is from failure that we learn the most. There are no guarantees out there, it’s about falling, getting back up again and learning from that experience so you do not trip on the same stone again.
Confidence & Independence
Since I was a little girl I was always very independent and passionate about the things I loved. From an early age my parents taught me to believe in myself and to this day I am truly convinced that there is nothing that I can not do if I set my mind to it. My confidence and passion led me to a career that, especially in Latin America is usually reserved for men, they helped me graduate from college, get my first job, start my own business and it even gave me the strength to leave my country and start again from scratch.
The Importance of Education
Early on I knew that I wanted to work for myself, that I wanted to choose my own path and that my education would give me the tools to decide if I wanted to work for someone else or if I would take the plunge and try to make it on my own. That is the beauty of education: it opens doors, it broadens horizons, it gives you choices.
It has been more than 10 years since I graduated as an architect and in that time I have worked many jobs and started a few businesses of my own. Some of my entrepreneurial experience has been directly related to architecture and some of them have not. In some of my endeavors I have succeeded, in others I have failed but every time I have had to start again I’ve had my college education to fall back on. My education has been the starting point and it has given me the tools I needed to accomplish every new goal I have set for myself.
Taking Flight
So take advantage of the summer break by feeding your passions, researching ideas, thinking outside the box and gaining experience in the area you are interested in so that you can use that passion, creativity and knowledge to take flight in the pursue of your dreams. And don’t forget that falling is part of learning to fly and that not everything is smooth sailing. Taking risks and getting up when you fall is not only part of the learning process but also part of the adventure! Believe in yourself because you are: Latina Smart!
GIVEAWAY!
Comment on this post and participate for the chance to win one of two Kmart $25 gift cards. All you have to do is share your ideas on what you believe it takes to become an entrepreneur. Thes giveaway ends on July 12th. Winners will be chosen randomly among all the comments and will be contacted by email after July 12th.
Disclosure: This post was written for Latina Smart who provided me with monetary compensation and is providing the Kmart gift cards for the giveaway. All opinions are my own and this post was not edited by a third party.
Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .
When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.
- Guatemalan Dulce de Chilacayote Recipe (Crystalized Chilacayote Candy) - February 26, 2024
- Guatemalan Naranjas en Miel Recipe (Candied Oranges Recipe) - February 25, 2024
- Traditional Guatemalan Candy - February 25, 2024
Wonderful valid points. I think as an educator and exactly what you said—you were supported by your parents. Support and confidence will lead to execution!
Great post Paula–tight hugs!
Thanks Eileen for the constant support! You rock! 🙂
I believe there are two important things to keep in mind: you can be born with an entrepreneuril spirit or you can develop as you grow. Some people are born with the drive to be their own boss, management skills are their streghts. There are others who either inherit the spirit or learn after a ciscunstance. Either way, you have to be risk-taker. You have to prepare to be successful and adapt to the environment to win.
Thanks Yadira. I agree with you completely. Sometimes life will throw situations at us that will wake up that entrepreneurial spirit.
What does it take to be an entrepreneur?
BLOOD, GUTS, AND GLORY!! No, not really- bueno, kinda sorta.
A true entrepreneur must be ready to give all of what they have and then be ready to find some more from a hidden, unknown, magical reserve that only appears because it is willed to do so.
The product doesn’t matter. Many a great entrepreneur has various interests and companies, but it’s never quite enough. It’s an inner drive for more, an energy that fulfills them, the challenge burns and the brain never sleeps.
Now, let us not confuse being an entrepreneur with being a “business woman” and never assume all entrepreneurs are financially successful. Many a wonderful idea has floundered and failed for lack of business know how- but this is how the true entrepreneurs are weeded from the wannabes. They keep trying. Perhaps another venture, but they keep trying.
“Feeding your passion.” is exactly what it is, and to true entrepreneurs, life is a never ending all-you-can-eat buffet.
BB2U
Thanks BB for your great comment. Love your take and you make a great point, not all entrepreneurs are successful and that is where education can become the most important tool, the turning point, that which brings those creative ideas and that great passion into reality!
Soooo true!!! Loved it!! My parents always said: we will leave your with only your education, that is the best thing we can do for you! They didn’t care if you wanted to be a shoe maker or a stock broker, as long as you were happy & that you had a dregree to back it up!!! Always think ahead for your children & help them become independant & productive adults!!! Thanx paula!!!!!
Great post! I am taking a summer school class and throwing myself back into the hectic grind. I have 4 classes left to go & I’m determined to have my Masters in Fine Arts (creative writing) by Spring 2013.
I am determined & focused!!
“[F]alling is part of learning…” I think this is my favorite sentence of the entire article. A good entrepreneur is always learning (after all, you never know when or where the next idea will pop up). And the best learnings usually come from the mistakes we make.
These words always keep me going:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/silvinajc/6496643853/in/set-72157628377327185
Here is the link for the picture, in the case the previous one doesn’t work:
http://flic.kr/p/aU5ZSV
Hi Paula. Whether you are born with an entrepreneur spirit or develop one you can’t go through life expecting everything to succeed the first time and giving up when it doesn’t. I hope that parents will learn to instill this mentality in their children. Life is not easy, learning that perserverence is the way to truly succeed will make their adult lives easier in the long run.
Hugs…Tracy @ Cotton Pickin Cute
P. S. I hope you’ll stop by and enter my newest giveaways and sharing would help too.
As someone who has always been an entrepreneur, I think there is nothing more rewarding than being an entrepreneur. What has always kept me going – besides encouragement and education – is my thick skin. And of course, the ideas and flexibility to remain an entrepreneur. What else? It was my international exposure since childhood and the acceptance for diversity for opinion that has served me well. All these ideas are compressed in the following pieces:
http://tinyurl.com/cu6u5pl
http://tinyurl.com/6m8jcak
Thanks!