Forget Can I, Think Should I?
When you were little, did your parents, or perhaps a teacher or some other adult authority figure, tell you that you could be or have anything you dreamed of; that you were only limited by your dreams? Mine didn’t, so maybe not. But many people are enamored with the “I can do anything” concept.
There are two problems with “I can do anything”. First, it isn’t true. As a female in my mid-30s, I cannot be a starting quarterback in the National Football League. Totally impossible. Nor can I win American Idol. I am, again, too old given their rules, plus I have a pretty horrific singing voice. I guess you could argue that if I was really driven, I could re-write the rules: I could start a Facebook petition for Idol (and get tons of singing lessons) or buy an NFL team and run it “my way”. But realistically, there are some limits to what you can and can’t do in life.
However, more importantly is the second point, which is greatly overlooked. It doesn’t matter if you can, it matters if you should.
Could You or Should You?
Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you will be successful at it or that there isn’t something else that would bring you more success.
Owning your own business falls into that category. Yes, everyone can be an entrepreneur. That doesn’t mean that you should, that you will succeed or that there isn’t a better opportunity out there for you, given your circumstances, goals and objectives.
So, don’t worry about whether or not entrepreneurship is possible; assess whether it is the best fit for you. And if it is, make sure to do whatever you can to stack the odds in your favor before you take it on.
