What if I did not explore entrepreneurship @Founders?

Theoretically, it's still very early to be asking myself this question.

It's literally been 11 business days since the Founders Program kicked off - it's not even enough time to form a habit.

Taking that into consideration, I do want to acknowledge that I most definitely still need to give it more time to come to any strong conclusions.

However, I also want to be intentional to maintain strong self-awareness in this journey by consistently reflecting on how I am feeling as it continues.

I actively want to step away from this notion that ''only my future feelings are valid and true as they will be inspired by more knowledge.''

No. I do not want to invalidate what I am feeling today because tomorrow could be different. Today is a gift and what I feel in this moment is valid and true.

What if I did not explore entrepreneurship @Founders?

• I would not have known how it feels to be 100% happy with what I am working on, and most importantly, not be terrified to express it. As a person, I don't like using superlatives to express how I feel. It just feels like an unjustified emotional exaggeration. I'm not sure if it's because I'm afraid that if I proclaim, ''I am the happiest,'' or ''This is the finest thing ever,'' something will come along and steal my happiness. But despite not ever using superlatives to communicate, I have recently found myself telling My Mum and Dad things like ''OMG, I am literally living my best Life. I love everything about how I am showing up daily and what I am doing.''Now it's one thing to tell that to your Parents in private, and another to share on LinkedIn. What if this journey does not work out? Does that mean that I embarrassed myself by prematurely communicating how I feel today? Should I have waited until it worked out to share how I once felt? I really do not know the answers to those questions, and quite frankly, I do not want to operate from a place of fear. I recently shared how the Founders Program has inspired me to operate from a place of liberation. What I do know is that I am allowing myself to lean into this amazing feeling I am experiencing as a result of the Founders Program. I truly feel 100% happy, and I am allowing myself to feel it without fear.

Why am I so happy? Was I not happy before?

I was happy.

• From a career perspective, I was obsessed with sales program management which is why I invested 5 years honing on that skill. I loved seeing my impact on tripling revenue within a quarter or launching multi-million dollar campaigns across the globe. I loved my job so much that I did not know what to say when my previous manager asked me ''what are your career goals?''. I just said ''I love what I am doing today and I just want to keep doing it.''
• From a personal growth perspective, I had achieved all the goals I had set to achieve in my 20s. I turned 30 having completed 2 Masters's Degrees from top business schools, I became an Irish Citizen, I am a homeowner in Ireland, and I have accumulated a couple of assets and investments that are impressive. I am genuinely proud of myself and I wanted to use 2023 to just travel and chill.

But, in my 10-year career journey, everyone used to tell me ''you should be an entrepreneur.'' Over the years I had the opportunity to work with entrepreneurs who have since become so successful, but I couldn't work with them because I had to prioritise becoming an Irish citizen, which I did in June 2022. I was in Europe through a work permit and I thought it was best I prioritise becoming a citizen of an EU country first before entrepreneurship to increase flexibility to do bigger things. No regrets though, what was meant to happen, will happen.

In January this year, prior to my flight back to Dublin, My Dad pulled me aside and told me ''Esther, it's time for you to think big and use your talent and experience to build something great.'' It was an uncomfortable conversation for me because as I have mentioned, I just wanted to travel and take it easy this year. And while I tried to convince My Dad that I should have a break from constant over-achievement, deep down I knew he wanted me to burst out of the cocoon I had created for myself. Not because he did not understand that I needed a break, but if anything, he understood that I needed a break from the limitations I had set for myself because they did not serve me at all.

So I chose to trust him and said ''Okay Dad, I will reflect on what you've told me. I am not ready today, but I will for sure think deeply about what you've just said.''

It's now 9 months since My Dad and I had that conversation, and 15 days since I joined the Founders Program. I will end this article by saying the following:

1. Being part of this program brings out the daughter that My Dad raised. I sense he is proud that I am leaning towards my strengths and passions, in a way that's different than before and literally doing it afraid because he knows that is what will make his daughter the happiest version of herself. All that Parents want for their children is for them to be truly happy.
2. My feelings today are just as valid as those of tomorrow, even if things change. If I am not as happy tomorrow, I can read this article and remind myself that happiness is a feeling I can feel again.
3. I am happy because every day I wake up with one question - ''how can I build a business that will disrupt the world in such a positive way?'' I am connected to my 5-year-old self when she said she wanted to become a doctor. I am connected to my 15-year-old self when she said she wanted to become a neurosurgeon. I am connected to my 20-year-old self when she said she wanted to become one of the top 10 Marketers in Africa. I am connected to my present self when she dares to tell people she wants to build a decacorn . As we grow older, we stop saying big dreams because there's a job to be had and taxes to be paid. We dream less and begin to manage our expectations more to avoid heartbreak. I do not know if I will build a decacorn , but what I know for sure is that my 15-year-old self did not think she would own a 4-bedroom home in Ireland before 30. My 20-year-old self did not think she would one day work for the biggest tech companies in the world. But one thing is common with the younger versions of myself, they all had a big, audacious dream, so why can't I have it now?

Dare to dream!