Today I was able to spend the day with a group of teenagers doing service projects and also participating in what are called Rope Courses. Ropes Courses are designed to test your mental focus and personal fortitude as well as generate team building experiences. One of the obstacles in particularly got both my nerves and brain going. This was called the Vine Walk.
The course involved a thin metal cable stretched between two poles about 20 years apart. The cable was bout 30 feet about the ground and placed up above the cable about 6 feet were several dangling ropes separated along the cable about 10 feet apart. These ropes could be held on to as you walked the quivering metal cable. Now these dangling ropes did not provide much stability, but just enough when pulled taunt that you would not spiral off of the cable.
Of course as you climb up the poles and attempt the traverse, you are on belay and fully harnessed for safety, but it really does cause your nerves to jitter as you attempt to carefully step across this “vine”.
What I discovered as I was doing this, was if I focused on the far end point of the cable, looking across, but not directly down, and deliberately blocking out the height factor, I was able to slither across that cable. When I would turn sideways with my feet and attempt to monitor the cable and its flex directly beneath me the cable would shake almost as vigorously as my nerves were.
As on this rope, so is it when creating a business. You can’ think much about how high you are, you have to trust the harnesses and belay, and focus on the end point placing foot over foot as you go. If you look down and spend too much energy on your exact position on the “cable” you tend to get wobbly and are more likely to fail.
Being an entrepreneur, my nerves were conditioned to the adrenaline rush of the vine walk on the ropes course and it did not paralyze me, as a matter of fact I found it invigorating.
I noted that a few of the young women that were gymnasts crossed the vine with grace. I didn’t! My crossing was plain ugly, but end of the day it does not matter, we both crossed it just the same. Both count and so it is in entrepreneurship. Most do not have the courage to even try. Getting across is the key, not how graceful the walk is.
![[Post to Twitter]](http://www.richchristiansen.com/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-twitter.png){kind=icon}
[...] This morning, Rich, Ron, and I had a big sit-down about the book, Bootstrap Business. We’re currently working out the book proposal, a daunting task that, by design, makes you evaluate every aspect of what you’re writing. I’ve had a certain question on my mind for a couple of days now, and took the opportunity to bring it up. It seems like there is a clear and definite distinction between the love of entrepreneurship and the love of a certain business. Some people get into a business because they feel passionate about something specific: let’s say, antiques. So, they start an antique shop. The love of entrepreneurship, on the other hand, is the love of strategy and opportunity. An entrepreneur looks at his skill set and resources, checks the market out, and moves forward. An entrepreneur will do whatever the market demands- because the thrill is in the hunt and in the game, not in the actual task. Yes, you have to do something you’ll enjoy, and something that plays on your interests and skills- but it is more about the strategy and the planning than it is about SEO or flower baskets or pies or any number of businesses you could work yourself into. Take these two guys, for example. I’m willing to bet that washing cars is not their biggest passion in life. What they are passionate, about, however, is making the most of an opportunity. This is where it can get tricky. On one hand you can tell yourself, “We’ll just give it a go, and if it doesn’t work out, it’s not about that anyway.” It’s safe. You can do what you love, and never feel like a failure because it’s not about success. Getting out there and trying to build assets is another story. It’s so easy to get lost in the game, to linger to long on one idea and not long enough on another. It’s easy to take risks you can afford or to hang back, not risking enough. You can let your entire life get caught up in a venture or get so caught up in “being your own boss” that you forget to do the hard work necessary to see success happen. Managing that balance is what entrepreneurship is all about. I’m still not exactly sure what I think about the distinction that seems to exist between being a business owner and an entrepreneur. Maybe there is some middle ground. Certainly there are people who are both. One thing I feel sure of: no matter what venture you’re pursuing, you’ll be well served to develop a keen eye for opportunity, a passion for strategy, and a flexibility to follow new avenues to success. (No Ratings Yet) Loading … [...]
[...] As you maneuver your way through business ventures, you may fluctuate between abundance and scarcity mentalities. You need to learn the warning signs, and be able to take applicable action to ensure your happiness, sanity, and success. [...]