Sometimes we’re fortunate enough to have people in our lives that push us. These are the people who don’t give up on us, even when we want to give up on ourselves. They tell us what we need to hear, even if we don’t want to hear it. For me, this was my dad.
“Without someone to help push them along, without support, entrepreneurs might never take the leap.”
I blog a lot about entrepreneurship. In my Tales of a Young Entrepreneur series, I reminisce on small entrepreneurial ventures I had as a kid: selling golf balls, mowing lawns, loan sharking, you name it. An idea would pop in my head, and I would just go for it. However, it usually didn’t take long before I would start something, and then not long into it I would lose motivation or find an excuse to quit. This is when I needed someone to push me, and thankfully I had it.
I don’t want to count anyone out. I’m lucky enough to say that both my parents were always there to support me and give me encouragement. Whenever I was down about something, my mom always knew what to say to make me feel better, and my dad knew what to say to help me get back up. When I look back though, I think I took a lot of what my dad said for granted. Sometimes he would lecture me for a full hour, and I would just stand there the whole time thinking “God this guy’s an asshole.” It’s kind of funny now to think what I would give now to hear those lectures again, but I guess in some ways I still do.
I think many entrepreneurs, or anyone that’s had to do something they didn’t think they could, had someone in their lives that gave them the push they needed. Jumping into a new business venture can be a scary thing. Trust me, people won’t hesitate to tell you that it’s a bad idea, or that it’ll never work. Without someone to help push them along, without support, entrepreneurs might never take the leap.
While my dad might not be around anymore (he passed away from brain cancer about 4 years ago) the encouragement he gave me growing up still resonates with me today. I’m not afraid to try new things, and it’s pretty rare that I let others’ words bring me down. I know whatever my next endeavor is, be it selling more golfs balls or a beer business, his words will carry on with me.
With that, here are my two short pieces of advice:
- If you have someone in your life that gave you the push you needed, be sure to thank them sometime. Let them know you probably wouldn’t have made it this far with without them. One of life’s greatest gifts is the feeling that you made a difference in someone else’s life.
- Do the same for others. Sometimes people just need a little push in the right direction. It’s amazing how far the simplest words of encouragement can take someone.
Have someone in life in your life that inspired you or helped push you along? I encourage you to share in the comments below.