Entrepreneurship = Way of Life

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of riding with my Dad on construction jobs.  (I still have the scar on my left shin from the rebar at a shiny downtown Dallas building.) He was a master of concrete, and a student of business.  Never having formal education beyond high school, Dad read everything he could get his hands on and interviewed just about anyone he came in contact with.  And he frequently shared his lessons with me.

Admittedly, I didn't appreciate them at the time and silently wished he was more "normal."  You know, like my friends' parents that never missed an episode of TJ Hooker or Rescue 911 and talked a lot about the Cowboys. (I don't think Dad even owned a television.)  But now, I am beyond thankful.  It is incredibly apparent how his lessons shaped the "unconventional" person I am today. 

Here are just a few:

1. "Always have a pen and paper." – No matter where we were or how young I was, Dad expected me to always be ready to take notes.  I still smile when I see a legal-size, yellow writing pad or a construction pencil.  I've traded them for a Moleskin notebook and a blue Papermate pen, but you can bet they accompany me everywhere.

2. "You will never be free if you can't support yourself." – Dad never had a job. He's always had several businesses and streams of income, some more successful than others.  But Dad always taught me to be responsible for myself and my decisions, and to never make excuses.  If something wasn't right in my life, it was up to me to fix it, not to whine and hope the problem went away.

3.  "Do what you love." – I didn't get this one until much later, but Dad always talked about enjoying day-to-day life, not waiting until some magical day when all the conditions are right.  We'd go to 11:00 movies on "work days."  We'd enjoy a long lunch with the owners of Arc-En-Ciel. (Oh, how I miss that restaurant and the dim sum lunches.)  Dad worked hard, but he always made time to savor each day.

Even after I realized the treasures I had learned, I was still unable to put them into words. Until now.  This passage from E-Myth Mastery by Michael Gerber says it all:

"In fact, entrepreneurship, once discovered, is a way of life.  That once entrepreneurship is alive and well in you, in form and in substance, the power of it, the unending power and passion of it will never let you rest."

Dad had discovered entrepreneurship, and he passed that passion on to me.  I cannot ever imagine another way of life. Thanks, Dad. I am forever grateful.