When is your Independence Day?
When I think of summertime I break the period down mentally based on the three major holidays, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Memorial Day signals the beginning of summer in my mind and Labor Day signifies the end. Independence Day, the 4th of July sits right in the middle, at least mentally, for me.
The type of individual who helped form our country was someone with a unique set of skills. Not everyone would be willing to put their name on the declaration of independence. Just consider the ramifications that would follow from signing your name on that document. By signing you have effectively signed your own death sentence. You would have been labeled a traitor by the occupying British, our keepers during that time. While that period in time did not have the instantaneous media coverage that we have today, the names on the petition would certainly not have been a secret and I suspect that each person who signed knew the ramifications for their actions.
I fast forward to our world today and consider others who take similar actions in other places in the globe. Certainly there are opposition forces in many oppressed areas in the globe and I could go on and on about who the oppressor is and who is the oppressed. Instead of going in that direction, let’s talk more about the type of person who might have signed a document signifying they would not be willing to accept the status quo, not be willing to continue on in a country where their thoughts, ideas and aspirations would not be considered. Those same qualities come through today for many who work for an organization. You might call them entrepreneurs.
Every day there are people across the globe who declare their own independence from the business or organization they are working for. While they are not calling for an insurrection, they are calling for something different, something new, a unique way of doing things where their voice will be heard in a more unique and deliberate manner. I call them entrepreneurs.
What are some of the unique qualities of entrepreneurs? Let me list a few below that come to mind for me:
- Focus
- Drive
- Perseverance
- Tireless work ethic
- Vision
- Initiative
- Multi-skilled
- Patient (some more so that others)
- Single minded
I became an entrepreneur in 2006 and I have never looked back. Just like our forefathers, I have experienced both good days and bad days. There are watershed moments for all of us who declare our independence from the traditional world of work and set out on our own path. I thank God every day that I live in a world where I have the flexibility and options to do what I do. I am so blessed to be able to serve others in the ways that I do and get paid in many instances. It just doesn’t get much better than this.
On the other hand I fully understand that not everyone is willing to “sign on the document” to declare their independence from the traditional world of work. There is a story that John Hancock signed the document with a large signature so that the British would have no difficulty in knowing who he was. Other accounts say he did sign in a large way because he was first. Who really knows?
I encourage you to consider your own independence day, a day that frees you in a way you will never experience in the traditional world of work. Entrepreneurism is not for everyone. It is not good or bad. But there is a day that comes in the lives of many where they feel the need to set out and try their own way, do their own thing, and for me I am blessed to be able to do what I do successfully. I thank God daily for that opportunity.
I encourage you to consider your own independence, but I also charge you to give thanks for that handful of men, that daring group, who signed their names over 225 years ago to a document that will live on for generations to come. That document, the Declaration of Independence, signifies what makes our country great. Always remember that it takes great leaders to form and back up a great document.
When you take a pause to enjoy this weekend, I implore you to give thanks to those who put their name on the firing line as well as thanking those who have fought, died and continue to do so to preserve our independence and safety.
Freedom isn’t free-neither in Independence.