Entrepreneurship to Build Resilience and Connect to Your Higher Self

I never thought I’d be an entrepreneur. Even when I was in business school where we had this world-class entrepreneur center, I took not one class and had zero interest in learning how to work for myself. Nope, not me. I sought out the (perceived) safety of working for a big company with a stable job and a predictable (ha!) corporate ladder to climb. And that’s exactly what I did upon graduation—got a job with one of the biggest, most seemingly stable and secure companies out there. 

As fate would have it, a few years later I found myself working for a different large company, but one in which all of our clients were small businesses and entrepreneurs. At that time, I was increasingly disillusioned with my work. I often describe that time in my life as me being this little candle getting snuffed out as I walked through the turnstiles of that giant building on Monday morning—and then desperately trying to relight my flame on the weekend and remember who I was and what I was actually passionate about. At work, these small business clients would come in and talk to us and share their stories and without exception, I found each of them completely engrossing and inspiring. To use an overused term, listening to them, I felt like I had found my tribe. They were brave, they followed their gut, they bucked conventional wisdom to overcome defeat and uncertainty. Or they failed but then they got up again and found a way to keep going. 

In the years since parting ways with that company, I have founded and run several businesses. One I consciously ended to start something new, another failed spectacularly, and one that continues to bring me fulfillment and a sense of community and creative expression. Why am I sharing this story with you now? Welp, these are weird times. Unpredictable, uncertain times. And a lot of the skills and resilience I’ve learned as an entrepreneur would benefit most anyone right about now.

I don’t believe the myth that you are either an entrepreneur or you’re not. It’s not an either/or thing. (Almost nothing is.) Some people may never want to quit their day job, but could benefit from a side hustle or two. Others might be in a career they love, but due to this pandemic they are unable to do that work anymore and need to start something to keep the lights on—or to keep the anxiety or boredom at bay. The skills that you learn working for yourself can be applied within the workforce as well as they can be independently. 

There’s another myth that I’ve been able to overcome by working for myself, one that was more damaging to me personally and more destructive to my heart: The myth that you can’t make money doing work you love. This idea that, in order to make a “good" living you have to somehow suck it up and do work you hate was deeply ingrained in my psyche from a very young age. Fortunately, I’ve found the opposite to be true. 

The tasks you love to do, the work that lights you up—these are the signposts pointing you in the direction of not only soulful fulfillment but also financial freedom. Again and again I’ve witnessed this in my own life and for colleagues and clients. 

If you at all feel called to explore the possibility of starting your own business, I am leading a 5-Week Online Journey to Align Your Work with Your Soul's Purpose beginning this Friday, May 22nd. This is also open to existing entrepreneurs who could benefit from the support of a like-minded community to pivot their business model or come up with viable additional streams of revenue. You can find more information here or shoot an email to hello at jorlipena.com. 

Jorli Peña is a Piermont-based artist, entrepreneur and intuitive guide who helps people uncover and develop their unique gifts. You can learn more about her work at jorlipena.com or connect with her on instagram @jorli.