“The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage to not be disappointed with what we encounter.”
If you replace the words “spiritual road” with “building a company,” the above statement by my favorite author, Paulo Coehlo, describes my life in this odyssey to forming a successful business. Admittedly I am the least patient person that may possibly exist on this planet. I am sure this is a statement that most friends will read and are probably having a small laugh, because it is that bad of a problem. At the same time, if you read the second half of the quote, it mentions courage, an area where most would agree that once you get past your initial fears you cannot be stopped. Patience and courage link together very strongly in my personal life and it has very quickly become apparent that it will also be a part of my life as a businesswoman.
I realize I am stating the obvious; there are many hurdles to navigate in this process. There is a 30-page business plan to write, loans to consider, endless paper-work for the government, a website to develop, marketing strategies to create – believe me when I say the list in my head continues for a while. However, these obstacles are impossible to get past without pushing through the first: the courage to make the decision that everything you do for this business will be done with passion, make the commitment to give this concept the absolute dedication that it deserves and stop at nothing to ensure that it comes out the way you want it to. Simple enough, right? Absolutely not! When the first complications begin to come up you become filled with fear, insecurity, and thoughts that tell you that you are out of your mind for getting yourself into this mess. Yes, of course there will be letdowns, stress, and moments of panic; but without the courage to persevere through it all, bearing that passion in mind, you will get absolutely nowhere and decide to give-up.
No one mentioned this agreement that I needed to make with myself before walking into the unchartered territory of what is entrepreneurship. I can tell you that now I have this foundation; I am fearless to accomplish everything I want to. When you have this mentality, you begin to realize that “when you want something, the whole world conspires to help you achieve it,” another wonderful verse by Coehlo. I know that if I want to be successful, I need to do things the right way, by being patient with the correct process rather than taking the shortcuts. As I write these thoughts, I think of all the wrong decisions I have already made, but I also consider what I have learned from this process and how I can better make executive decisions in the future. Yes, I have courage, and yes, I am learning to be patient, but it does not mean I will always be right – as much I hate to admit it. As my business develops and goes through these nerve-wracking stages, I too will have to learn to develop and grow as a person and swallow the Latina pride and get things done the right way.
Follow her on Twitter @catasanabria for more insightful venting about all things Latino, what it’s like to be a Latin Conservative, a Latina business owner, and making it through life.
