The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur

June 24Love the Shade

Our friend has likened thee to the sweet fern, / Which with no flower salutes the ardent day, / Yet, as the wanderer pursues his way,/ While the dews fall, and hues of sunset burn, / Sheds forth a fragrance from the deep green brake, / Sweeter than the rich scents that gardens make. / Like thee, the fern loves well the hallowed shade / Of trees that quietly aspire on high; / Amid such groves was consecration made / Of vestals, tranquil as the vestal sky.

Margaret Fuller—Life Without and Life Within (1859)

An entrepreneur's show of extreme confidence, that thing that draws people and opportunities, is quite often a mask of deep-seated insecurity.

The greater the show of confidence, confidence that bleeds over into the realm of cockiness, the more disguised the feeling of lacking.

A telltale manifestation of this trait is the need to compete—incessantly about everything—with your team, with your loved ones, with your actual competitors.

No judgment if you're feeling uneasy reading this. Simply observe that this might be going on and look for ways to take note.

Insecurity will wreck what you expect out of life and control your beliefs and behavior in ways that will make joy in each and every day elusive.

Today, look for ways to love the well-hallowed shade. Look for ways to learn about the needs of others, to help others quietly aspire, to not compete.

Challenge Question

1. How do you feel physically when you get the urge to compete? Make note.