“Unsure what to desire, she simply wants.” Richard Russo, Straight Man
Richard Russo gets so many things right in his books, Mohawk, Bridge of Sighs, Empire Falls. Unsure what to desire, she…we…simply want. Do you see the difference? Wants come and go. This morning I may want an orange, but in the afternoon I want a delicious, soft, oozy peach. I’ve forgotten the orange. Wants are temporary and moving, a feeling for what you lack. A want is like a desire without passion.
Desires are stronger, deeper feelings that come from the heart: a yearning, a craving, an aspiration, an urge. You may want to play the piano, but you hate practicing. If your desire is to play the piano, you’ll see that practice is the journey to your goal. You are driven to making it a reality.
I hear many people say they want to be an entrepreneur. Well, yes, and I want to be a lounge singer someday…but I’m not doing anything about it. Being an entrepreneur requires drive, effort, vision, hard work — those qualities associated with desire, with moving toward goals. Desires make us move far beyond where we are.
So, if you desire to be an entrepreneur, do what the musician standing outside Carnegie Hall was told: practice. The remarkable author and management consultant Peter Drucker was fond of saying entrepreneurship is neither a science nor an art. It is practice. Do your research, follow your heart, put one foot in front of the other. Find out what’s needed, what works for you. Dare to make mistakes. Starting Women Leading KY in 1999 took nearly everything I had. I used my credit cards, I withdrew my savings and used my investments. I learned as I went along: what I did well and what I needed others to do. I learned, often through my mistakes, what women wanted and what businesses wanted to invest in. I had to make it work. I’d already quit my job. Desire in action.
Develop your desire. Go for it and stay in touch,
Janet
