What really matters

Initially, I wanted to dedicate a chapter that speaks about the importance of choosing a conducive environment for yourself and/or your business venture. I then quickly realised that I only had a limited number of chapters available for this book. Hence, in this chapter, I am going to explore the importance of choosing a suitable entrepreneurial path.

You are more than welcome to validate which one works best for you.

Today is the day that I turned 30 years old. A lot was going on in my head. My husband is sleeping next to me while I am in writing mode. Many nights that we have spent together in our long-distance relationship and now marriage, looked exactly like this. While my husband is sleeping, my mind is creating.

Funny enough, when I was a bit younger, I wanted to become a foreign correspondent, journalist, or diplomat who travelled the world for work. These past weeks, I have been travelling across Europe, on a mission to complete my book and explore current and future innovations. Hence, I argue that the first thing that really matters is staying true to yourself and your dreams. These can never be too small or big!

I am not sure if I would be where I am today without the people who are close to me. The ones who always had my back and encouraged me, no matter how crazy or unrealistic my ideas might have sounded.

There is an African proverb that says ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ This basically means that without the necessary resources, such as your health, education, money, and time, as well as a reliable support network, you are not going to get far.

So, what really matters, besides having dreams, people, resources and a reliable support network, is having a certain attitude towards dealing with problems you encounter on your entrepreneurial journey.

I can guarantee you that happy days will not always be there, but as long as you keep in mind what really matters, better days are coming. Therefore, be prepared that you will need to practice patience, build endurance, and develop persistence while walking or running (depending on how fast you want to go).

Pursuing this path of social entrepreneurship can get tough but, at the same time, it is the most rewarding. In the next chapter, I would therefore like to praise everyone who has chosen this path, including some of the women I interviewed in 2014. You act as role models and leaders in your community. That is why people look up to you. You deserve lots of good Karma in your life. And please remember that Karma is an action, not a result. The future is not set in stone. You can change the course of your life right now by changing your intentional acts and self-destructive patterns. Keep your circle positive. Speak good words. Think good thoughts. Do good deeds. Keep reconnecting with what really matters.