by Bob Trowbridge

Created on: August 13, 2008

Giving all you have for your own business rather than giving all you have for someone else's business is a wonderful feeling. Owning your own business represents a very personal challenge. You stand or fall on your own. Success or failure is completely in your own hands.

Owning your own business is like a hero's journey. The process itself will change you. As your business grows through multiple challenges, you will also grow. Through failure and success, you will become a different person. Like a hero, you will be tested by fire. The rewards are worth it.

Like the farmers, ranchers, prospectors, and others from an earlier time, you will earn your way by the sweat of your brow. You will pay your bills and earn your bread through your own talents and resources. As your own boss, you will have no one else to blame for failure and no one but yourself to thank for your success.

You will truly earn your own way in the world. You may work harder and longer hours for yourself than you ever did for someone else, but that will be your own decision. You can decide exactly how hard you want to work and how many hours. You can decide how much money you need to make to survive and/or thrive.

In order to succeed in such an endeavor and gain the considerable rewards that are possible, it is necessary to have great determination, great passion, and great perseverance. There was a segment on "CBS Sunday Morning" recently where they spoke of individuals who were extremely successful in their careers. What they focused on, however, were the many failures these people went through before reaching that success.

Failure is simply a part of the learning process. In science, you learn as much from your failures as from your successes, perhaps more. To give just one example, Henry Ford went bankrupt five times before eventually succeeding with his horseless carriage.

Creating and running your own business is an adventure in self-discovery. You may learn a lot about the business world on the way, but if you're lucky, you will really learn a lot about yourself. You will become a better person for it, more confident, less afraid of risk, and open to more and more success.

Making a living at your own business is almost a side-effect of the process, albeit an important one. The real rewards will be found more in the intangibles mentioned above. As the successful owner of a small business, you will recognize that you are part of an elite group of people. You have accomplished something special. You will have a genuine sense of pride and a stronger and more positive sense of self.

As another benefit, you will likely be much better at facing other challenges in your life, challenges of a more personal nature, such as your relationships. As we meet and solve problems in our business, we will be able to apply our problem-solving techniques to other aspects of our lives. In some ways, problem-solving is the same regardless of where it is applied in our lives.

Take a chance. Find out what excites you and apply your passion, your determination, and your perseverance to bringing that passion to life. And don't forget to bring along your considerable talents.

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