The Entrepreneur - The Ultimate Survivor
I recently re-read couple of books: Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning and Laurence Gonzales’ Deep Survival. It’s been 15 years since I read Frankl’s book and I have forgotten this incredible passage:
“[…] it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.”
In these tougher times, we need to remember that we still have one freedom left – the freedom to choose how we respond to a challenging situation. We can give in to fear, or we choose to survive. Survival simply means adapting to the new situation; changing our plans to fit reality and not ignoring reality to fit our dreams. When face with a challenge, true survivors quickly let go of the plan that all of a sudden does not fit reality, and create a new one - a plan that reflects the reality of the moment. They also realize that most challenging situations are not permanent. Such realization allows them to release fears and focus on coming up with a temporary solution for a temporary situation.
Entrepreneurs always face challenges – all solvable, temporary situations. The difference between success and failure is no more than the difference between taking the right action and not taking an action at all.
Entrepreneurs succeed because they realize that success is “the unintended side effect of one’s dedication to a cause greater than oneself”, as Frankl pointed out. “The more you aim at success”, he cautioned, “the more you are going to miss it”. It is also a result of quick adaptation to the changing environment. To succeed is to survive.
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