What I Wished I Knew as a 1st Gen Entrepreneur - Part 1 of Many ?? ??
“You know nothing about the trials and tribulations in the mountains of our homeland Laos.” This was a common story that I heard from my elders. Don’t get me wrong -? to a degree, they were right. I will never know what it's like to have to hike through the jungle to get to school. I will never understand what it was like to cross the Mekong River to escape the Vietnam War. The impression I received was one of hardship and having to figure out life with little to no guidance.
As a first-generation-born American and a first-generation entrepreneur, I am very blessed and lucky to have the opportunity to pursue the American dream.? The crazy thing is how these narratives impacted my entrepreneurial journey.? I not only assumed but expected my journey to be unbelievably hard. Almost as if I wasn’t worthy of having an easy and simple entrepreneurial journey.? I felt guilty for even hoping for and praying for it.? I simply braced for an experience filled with challenge over challenge over challenge.??
Now I'm sure you're probably thinking isn't this a good thing? Doesn't this help you to build resiliency as you build your business? To some extent you're right. As a first-generation entrepreneur, what I wished I knew was that it didn't have to be hard. There's something about “hard”?that is a choice. Again, being exposed to these kinds of stories, tainted my perception of my journey being anything but hard.
Let me elaborate -? building a business can be hard. There is a difference between easy and simple. There is a sense of pride in doing this by yourself.? As if there was more honor when you can say that you've done this all alone. Quite frankly doing things by yourself not only is lonely, but yes, it can and will be hard. What I want to share with you is finding this beautiful harmony between hard, easy, and simple. And let me tell you, it is absolutely possible to experience all three in your entrepreneurial journey. Asking for help isn't going to take away from the glory, fulfillment, courageousness, or achievement that you will experience. The aha moment is elevating your self-awareness to realize that you get to make that decision.
Per usual, let's talk about the how:
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Honestly, it doesn't have to be hard. Hard is a mindset. Hard is an experiential choice. You have the decision to embrace the hard, lean into the easy, and act in the simple.
Are you ready to embrace the hard and experience the easy and simple?? Let’s TALK .
?? Mollie