Taking a Leap of Faith into Entrepreneurship!

Anyone who has watched the hit show The Big Idea by Donnie Deutch, has to have stayed up wondering, “What is my big idea? What am I going to do to really make an impact on the world to make it a better place and to help my family in the process?” It’s an exciting show that is full of practical advice from people who have reached success as an entrepreneur.

Today I met entrepreneur who kind of stood out from the usual looking lawn maintenance man. His truck was clean, new and white, and his equipment in the back looked like it was all carefully taken care of and well maintenanced. His clothes were that of a high end athlete and from looking at him, the guy had a confidence in him that shined from the inside.

After calling over this man who was busy trimming hedges to ask for his business card, we struck up a conversation. The man, Chad Bell, is living his dream. He’s a former successful college track coach who spent 20 years coaching all over the country at major universities. Then, after he decided to get out of that, he moved to Boise Idaho and became a stock broker working for Morgan Stanley. He did so well as a novice, they moved him out of the pit that they put all of the new hires in to see if they can make it dialing 100 potential customers a day, that he was given a corner office with a great view. He overlooked the Greenway, which is a place where people are running and riding bikes and enjoying the beautiful weather. That alone was getting him thinking about how he could transition out of an office environment to the outdoors and then one day, something dramatic happened that changed his life! He saw a guy mowing a lawn for his job and he had the biggest smile on his face. Chad stared at that guy and all of a sudden something clicked inside of him. He went home that night and told his wife that he knew he had to change, and that he had been enjoying working in his own yard so much, that now he wanted to do it for other people.

After speaking with him for just a few minutes, it was clear that he had made the right decision. The yard in front of me was beautiful, and this guy who took care of it seemed genuinely happy. I shared with him that I’m also following my dream and my passion of hosting a TV show and he encouraged me as well.

It’s such a pleasure meeting someone who has found his own definition of success. It’s clear that he has made good money, but he hasn’t made that his internal focus. He knew that for him, he loved being outdoors, and he loves helping people make their yards look great.

Ask any older person how quickly life passes you by. There are songs written about it and commercials that say that ‘life comes at you fast’. We should all know that by now. But the question is, are we making the most of our lives? Are we suffering in silence and putting up with things in our lives that aren’t good for us? Are we living in a relationship or a job that isn’t holding us to the highest standards? Or are we living the life that we were meant to live, and living our bliss every day?

I’m voting for living my bliss. I may not be there every day, but I’m working hard to do that. I want healthy relationships that are fun and encouraging, and I want to work with clients who challenge me and that I like.

Life is too short not to enjoy it. Go ahead. Take the leap of faith…whatever that is.. to follow your bliss. And remember: “sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and build your wings on the way down.” (Kobi Yahama)