Say what?  This question was asked to me this week regarding my fitness business and I paused.  Good question, as entrepreneurship is imbedded with ebb and flow.  In the four years of running my business, I had never thought or even questioned my entrepreneurial venture not working out (no pun intended). It was a good reality check and opportunity for some reflection.

I am innately optimistic, driven and ambitious; my sense of purpose is derived by serving the world, being productive and being kind to others.  I have brought this attitude to every job I have had and now it is amplified with my personal training business.  I am grateful that I found my calling at a young age, that training comes naturally to me and am able to make a living by helping people improve their quality of life.

I always knew that it would work out.  I would make it work.  Life comes with uncertainty, but when it comes to my career, this is the one area that I have the most faith and ease in.  I trust in a Higher Power who brought me here, and He will give me the means to fulfill the task I am given.  And I am damn grateful.

I find inactivity brews anxiety in any area of our lives (e.g. health, relationships, career, etc.) – being stagnant, not taking responsibility or having a victim mentality creates unease because it makes us feel we lack control.  Being the best person I can be, being economical and adaptable, having a good work ethic, and being open to opportunities has harboured my sense of security in the world of risky entrepreneurship.

 

While we are on the subject, what constitutes not working out?

  • Not hitting a certain income bracket?
  • Having your life not look exactly how you planned it (when does life happen the exact way you envisioned)?
  • Being miserable?

This is subjective. On the surface, my definition of “it not working out” means quitting – but even then, quitting does not have to have a negative connotation; what if we change it to a more liberating narrative?  Try mid-course correction.

No one asked me, “What if this career path doesn’t work out?” in my past life (i.e. five years ago), when I had a “safe” job in the corporate world. And guess what? By some definition that career “did not work out”; I got laid off unexpectedly while I was halfway through my accounting designation.  However, I took it as a sign from God to pursue my fitness business and it boomed within six months.  I like to call this a mid-course correction; I was directed to where I was meant to be, and I took the skills and business acumen into running my own business.

Gary Vaynerchuk preaches,
“Never be romantic about how you make your money.”

The context behind Gary’s commandment is to not get attached nor comfortable with how you are making your money today (be it, your business or job), but rather be aware and also certain that you will have to modify, innovate and change with the times.  At the micro level, I also interpret that as if I have to take a second job to supplement my income to keep my business afloat, then I will. The entrepreneur hustle requires humility and adaptability as much as it needs ambition and stamina.

Back to the original question:
What if it doesn’t work out?
I will adapt. I will adjust my sails.  I will figure it out.