Dooley Noted: 7/14/2015
Why You Should Encourage Young Entrepreneurs
I grew up in a family made by two hard-working factory workers.
They worked long hours. And they did not love the actual work.
They loved the fruits of their work.
Being an old soul, as I was often called, I picked up on their lackluster feelings about their jobs.
I started calculating the hours they spent per day working, compared to the hours they spent doing things they enjoyed.
I thought, “It doesn’t make sense to spend that many hours a day not enjoying yourself.”
So, by age 6, I was in full entrepreneurial mode. I wanted to love my work.
My parents were pretty tired by the time this blizzard baby came into their lives.
So, I was given an enormous amount of independence to explore my entrepreneurial nature.
It started with a lemonade stand. Then it became hairbows. Garage sales. Babysitting.
I started exploring the things I enjoyed that could also make me money to survive.
By age 17, I was making $10,000 per summer doing a job I loved, while my friends worked minimum wage.
Even in chiropractic school, I was still exploring how to run a business I loved while studying.
I am lucky I inherited my parents’ strong work ethics.
I am also lucky they gave me the freedom to explore how to make my own living at a young age.
This helped me learn not to depend on my government, my family, nor a husband to live.
My government may go broke.
My family might go broke, too.
And my husband might leave.
It’s three decades later, and I have employers that appreciate my work ethic while working jobs I absolute adore.
I also helped create some jobs I loved, like a gym exhibiting strong principle sets and a seminar series that fills in important gaps in anatomy education.
Absolutely, I created my own unique career path.
And I wake up excited to live my life.
I am more than proficient at paying my bills, without financial help from my family, a husband, or the government.
And, I love my work to such depth that when on my truncated vacations, I miss work terribly.
If you have kids around you, I beg you to encourage them to be entrepreneurial.
Don’t encourage them to get a “secure” job.
There is no such thing.
Feed their curiosities.
Ask about their thought processes, and help them make plans and try ideas.
You may find your child is the next happy business owner, or inventor, or scientist.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley