How Being An Entrepreneur Is Remolding Me

This month is the 8th month of going on my own, as my own boss. And looking back I am much different from whom I was 8 months ago. Being an entrepreneur is remolding me, surprisingly, structurally more than financially.

It has made me more bullish. More willing to take a chance. And less reluctant to try something new.

image: entrepreneur.com

I am also now more comfortable with facing my troubles immediately. Before, when something goes wrong in my life or at work, I think a lot about it and sleep a lot, hoping the situation would have improved  when I wake up. I no longer act that way. Last month I had lots of troubles and I had to tackle them immediately or they were only going to get bigger. Still I couldn't meet the deadline for filing my monthly VAT payment. Rather than feel zapped of energy and retreat when faced with big troubles, I now suddenly feel infused with lots of energy and run around more when I have issues to resolve or troubles to face.

I am also, now, more long term oriented. There is no more assured monthly paycheck. There is a proposal I have been pushing with a team that took me on as a technical partner, it's now 6 months and nothing very concrete yet. I am now less concerned with my bank account balance, it competes with the weather. I just make sure I am doing my best and delivering very high quality job. I'm now a company and easy profit shouldn't be my ultimate aim in my first year of operation.

I remember last year, I was learning a lot of things I wasn't sure how I would apply them in my professional or personal life. Now I can't seem to have enough time to learn the things I need to know for my professional life. Everyday now feels very short, like there are now fewer minutes in each hour. I have also managed to learn a lot in these 8 months than I have learned in any one year. I am now a proficient MySQL database administrator and on course to becoming a web app developer. And that is not to mention how my Excel competence has skyrocketed due to the various projects I have worked on and training classes I have conducted.

Finally, I no longer feel intimidated by the success of anyone else. Before I used to do a quick mental evaluation of anyone earning more than me and reach one of the following conclusions: they work in a higher paying company or they have spent more years in the corporate world. Now I'm too busy reaching my own goals that I no longer do such mental comparisons.

Being an entrepreneur is shaping me into a more responsible, highly motivated, always working and happier person.