Michael's Journal, News, Visionaries | December 1st, 2006
Entreprenuers dancing naked around the camp fire? Maybe…
Yesterday when I received an Evite from a local group called Bootstrap Austin inviting me to an evening discussion titled Entrepreneur As Hero, I didn’t think twice. That morning I’d had a revelation of sorts, when I’d seen a new vision for working with entrepreneurs in a new way (more on that later). And with all the seemingly magical synchronicity happening in my life recently, it was a no-brainer.
Just weeks ago, I’d sat down for a bubble tea with a friend who offices next to me, Kevin Koym, and he’d expressed his mission in life in terms of inspiring the maximum number of people possible to take up entrepreneurship. He sees entrepreneurs as revolutionaries who step outside of “what is” to create “what can be,” and his current entrepreneurial enterprise provides a methodology and internet-based tool for entrepreneurs to collaborate at higher levels. It was Kevin who’d turned me onto Bootstrap Austin and the fire dancers.
So recently, as I’ve received the standard emails from people who are of the mind that business, entrepreneurship, capitalism and money are somehow bad… somehow to blame for the ills of the world, the drum of the entrepreneurial warrior within has been beating more loudly. I see entrepreneurs as today’s heroes, the ones who are standing for a better world and risking everything to bring it into existence. They are the warriors and creators of today.
So, I showed up early last night with local Vision Force Boot Camp grad and ally, Audrey Parker, at the home of one of the local bootstrap members and was welcomed by a man whose face I did not recognize, but whose name I did. He introduced himself as Michael Strong, and I knew he was somehow involved with Flow, another Austin-based entrepreneurial network. Turns out he’s the CEO, and come to find out he is a pioneer in education and independent learning and has founded innovative Socratic, Montessori, and Paideia schools and programs around the U.S. He has a passion for freeing young minds “from the matrix.” Talk about synchronicity…
He introduced me to Bijoy Goswami, founder of Bootstrap Austin and the Bootstrap Network, who was already engaged in the topic of conversation of the evening, entrepreneur as hero, and relating it to the recommended reading, Joseph Campbell’s book, Hero with a Thousand Faces.
Soon, other Bootstrappers showed up and as I met each of them I continued to feel as if I was coming home to reunite with family. These were conscious entrepreneurs and visionary thinkers. Where have I been all my time in Austin. How is it I’d not met these people sooner?
It doesn’t get cold too often here in Austin, but this night was quite chilly and so there was a fire in the fireplace in the living room. That’s where we sat down in a circle and began what would be a 3 hour conversation about the heroic life journey called entrepreneurship. We talked about entrepreneurship as a path to enlightenment, and the almost unavoidable and continual expansion of consciousness that happens along that path, as one must continually face one’s self and evolve beyond one’s limitations.
Refrencing movies like The Matrix, Braveheart and Star Wars throughout the night, we talked about how today’s culture conditions us so much to be outwardly focussed and paranoid of failure, and about how we’re missing the kind of rituals that could help us as a culture mark our inner progress along our entrepreneurial paths in life. All evening I couldn’t help but notice how it felt as if we were warriors of the same tribe on a spiritual journey, and at some point I even brought up the idea… What if once a quarter, we went camping and celebrated our failures, struggles and triumphs around the campfire?
While that may or may not happen, what I do see emerging in the next decade are new cultural traditions and structures to support people in living entrepreneurial/visionary lives. I see that visionary thinking and an entrepreneurial approach to life is the way of the future, and I am so excited for what is to come.
I strongly encourage all entrepreneurs to get involved with communities like Flow and the Boostrap Network. We may live in a world where entrepreneurship as a lifestyle is increasingly growing in popularity (some surveys have shown 7-8 out of 10 highschool students want to be entrepreneurs), yet we still live in a world that blames successful entrepreneurs for society’s problems. How ironic that the very individuals who are, as Ayn Rand might say, lifting the world on their shoulders and taking humanity to new heights are often those blamed for our problems.
I use the term entrepreneur very loosely to mean individuals who are risking a lot to bring something new of value to humanity into existence. (Aren’t we all entrepreneurs in spirit? Don’t we all yearn to live a heroic life, creating value?)
Do entrepreneurs do what they do out of greed? Is there a limited amount of wealth that entrepreneurs and capitalists just greedily fight for at the expense of others? Or is wealth created? And who creates it?
Guinevere
Dec 1st, 2006Enjoyed reading about your evening with the Bootstrap Austin group. I have always thought that Entrepremeurs have been visionaries through history. They are heros. They take a stand for what they believe, invest all of themselves and funds into what their vision is and create!
Thanks for sharing.
Guinevere
penny
Dec 1st, 2006I believe all wealth is created by those with the vision and the focus and force to perservere. Having that force allows us to continue to grow. Even more astounding is thei ability to educate and inspire others with excitement and validating their value. We are all Heros.
Karen Kafka (2K)
Dec 1st, 2006WOW Michael !!! I am pretty speechless by this one. Another exciting and powerful journey has begun. I look forward to being on the ride with you. Karen
Carlo Ami
Dec 1st, 2006I think that there are differaent kinds of entrepreneurs. One is most motivated by independence, to call their own shots, not have to answer to a boss or deal with office politics and such. It often ends up more about what one does not want than what they do intend.
Another type of entrepreneur is motivated by being of service, with creating a vision and then taking proactive steps to manifest that vision.
I count myself in the latter group and I thank you for the inspiration and the platform for connection, Michael.
Isoke
Dec 1st, 2006Yes, this is right in line with the “synchronicity” that is happening in my life too. Just yesterday, a woman told me that I had an angel named “Michael” looking over me and guiding me into prosperity and realization and healing!!! How wonderful!! Of course, lol, it didn’t connect until I got home. LOL
Yes, entreprenueral spirit emerging today is the ‘re-emergence’ of the tribal way of yesteryear, in a new way. The entrepreneural way of then was strong and natural to their way. Now, we are learning concepts and tools that will be lasting and alive for the new minds that exists today. Some may not realize that just like the evolution of technology (computers and such), our minds and consciousness are evolving the same way. Entreprenuers are more aware of the necessity for community members, global members to be self fulfilled to be spiritually free. This way, we maximize our potential and are better able to serve with a heart of intention towards the ALL. All should benefit as we change cliches that have reigned supreme for years, like “every man for himself” and “don’t mix business with pleasure.” These statements have guided the societies that govern the world right now and the time for change is here. Of course, some of us see that there is some sort of “vanity” in the idea of having or wanting or pursuing ‘money’. Money is a means of trade! Our purity and passion and force internally is what will change the concept of money in the minds of people. Erase the negative connotations in the mind and prosperity will be attractive and attracted for a greater purpose. I mean, we all would like to live without financially being “strapped”. However, the ultimate goal is to not really think about money, necessarily, but what we are trading. What we are sharing. What is being built.
This is wonderful and powerful.
Give Thanks
Isoke
Bruce Cunningham
Dec 1st, 2006In order to create wealth, something must be mined or grown. Only by inserting something new into the commerce stream can wealth be created. All other processes just add value to tha orignal items.
I think that this is the reason that most new businesses fail. They are under the false belief that they are going to “make money” — you can’t. If you are not produing something grown or mined, you can only provide a service to increase its value. The key word is service – What is it that you can give to others. When you have figured that out, the money no longer becomes an issue,
We live in a universe of absolute abundance, all we need is here. Remember– you don’t get what you want, you get what you expect. Expect abundance, peace, love, happiness and joy, and it will be the centrl core of your life. Money at that point becomes a tool– and you’ll find its value altogether different from then on.
Susmita Barua
Dec 1st, 2006I agree that in a real economy ‘money’ acts or ought to act as a means of communication to pass real goods and services easily among multiple providers and users. However, fiat money that is issued as debt and perceived to be store of value (when it is not) causes all kinds of problem in distribution and allocation of money fairly to all people everywhere….especially when it is issued on a monopoly basis by centralized private commercial banking system.
So we have ceated an humongous capital/financial/currency markets…..an unreal economy where money is made of off money. Folks you really need to think what a mess we have created under name of capitalism through false perception of money (capital). See my blogs and site at zaadz. I do believe entrepreneurs in every area of human society and business are needed more than ever to change the matrix.
The matrix is really the ‘monetary system’.
John
Dec 1st, 2006I’d have to agree with the previous post… we do live in a world/universe of complete abundance.
Do entrepreneurs do what they do out of greed?
I think some “well intentioned” people may attempt to get ahead in life by using deceptive business practices (ie: hype and manipulation), but most of them are just ignorant to the universal laws the govern true prosperity and abundance.
I believe “true” abundance (in every sense of the word) is a by-product of how you live your life and that life has it’s own way of picking up and spitting out people who live by greed.
People/Entreprenurs living honestly with “Vision” and “Clarity” know they don’t have to compete with anyone for abundance.
Michael, this is my first post on your blog and wanted to comment on how much i have gotten from your “VisionForce” emails.
You may enjoy the the following 2 links – they’re just about “Vision”
Thanks JL
My Vision For Humanity
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2976330287417417803&pr=goog-sl&hl=en
Manifesting Your Vision
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qftvt9IHHUM
Heather
Dec 1st, 2006Michael…you did not know they were there…as ‘you’ were not ready yet to receive their thinking…
That which you require will come across your path as you require it..
Have a Wonderous Weekend…
Heather
Michael Taylor
Dec 1st, 2006No matter how big your heart is or how grand your vision is, if you truly want to make an impact on a gargantuan scale in this country you must have the financial means to make it happen.
We can talk about changing the world for the better and loving our neighbors and removing all the social ills plaguing our world, but in a capitalistic society you must have capital to shift the world.
The problem for some entrepreneurs is that they sometimes lose site of their vision because they become blinded by money and all of it’s illusions. They forget the real reason they started their companies in the first place which is to provide a product or a service that fills an urgent need.
In my belief system everything is energy and if I tune into the energy of abundance I can attract anything my heart desires. If I open my mind and heart to the idea that energy should be used to make the world a better place then the energy (money) that I attract to myself will be used for that purpose. Therefore, there is absolutely nothing wrong with attracting any amount of money to you as long as you are not “attached” to it. Simply understand that we live in an infinite Universe with an Infinite amount of everything. There is enough money, love, property, gasoline, sex, lovers- you name it there is enough of it. The Universe is infinite. You simply have to learn to tune into the frequency of the thing you are trying to attract.
The true heroes are the ones that are teaching us how to use the irrefutable laws of the Universe to manifest our desires. When entrepreneurs grasp this concept and use it to build billion dollar companies (the amount is irrelevent I just choose to think big) and then teach others to do the same, then and only then will we shift the consciousness of this country to recognize the positive impact that entrepreneurs have on society.
In doing so we will create the next generation of “social” entrepreneurs who build companies with the sole intent of eradicating social ills and making the world a better place for everyone.
When that happens, and I believe it will, then and only then will place entrepreneurs in the position of truly being heroes.
Thank you Michael Skye for laying the groundwork to make this idea a reality.
Aiinslie Kincross
Dec 3rd, 2006This is great stuff! I am especially happy to read your definition of entrepreneur: “… individuals who are risking a lot to bring something new of value to humanity into existence”… because it really is about creating a new human consciousness, and through that, a new experience on Earth for humanity.
I am writing this from Nashville, where 200 people have just completed a training program with The Climate Project, an initiative of Al Gore to reverse the advance of global warming and climate destabilization.
This problem is REAL, it is happening NOW, and we need the commitment and actions of many people who are willing to risk alot to bring someting new into existence. The entrepreneurship you describe is needed to bring new social, environmental and engineering technologies into being. This is definitely a heroic calling.
I would add one thing to the discussion so far: consider the difference between entrepreneurship for personal profit and agrandisement, and entrepreneurship for the good of all humanity. There is a buddhist saying that one who seeks enlightment for self will not attain it, but one who seeks enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings may do so.
Please see An Inconvenient Truth and go to the website http://www.climateproject.org. Please commit to action on behalf of the Planet.
Thank you.
F. Perry Franz, MD, FACS
Dec 28th, 2006“The Climate Project, an initiative of Al Gore to reverse the advance of global warming and climate destabilization.
This problem is REAL, it is happening NOW, and we need the commitment and actions of many people who are willing to risk alot to bring someting ”
. . . absolutely bogus . . . . environmentalism is among the greatest threats to individual soverienty, which is an absolut requirement for meaningful eutrepeneurship . . . don’t be silly
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