Secrets to Success: Rule #5

Its not always easy to start a business, build a blog readership, or quit your desk job to pursue your hand sewn line of womens clothing full-time. In fact, its almost always quite challenging at times. So, I started a series that tells it like it is”¦the good, the bad, and the completely “˜Girl, I cant believe you went there.” Secrets to success that have been learned along the way. Today, Tiffany will pick up where we left off last time”¦

This contributor post was written by Tiffany (Moore) Han.

One of the difficult things to grasp is that in order to be successful as an entrepreneur, you have to be a little bit insane.

Let me back up and start with a story.

Back in the day, I worked at a non-profit in San Francisco. I was making a decent salary, I had been recently promoted, and I was holding my ground in what could be a potentially lucrative career helping people in the world live better lives.

I also had to, at times, go out to the parking lot and lay down in my car because of the chest pains I was having due to stress. At 27.

Newsflash: if the stress of your job leads you to wonder if you’re having a heart attack and you can’t decide if you should reallyreally go to the hospital or if it’s just momentary anxiety, you’re doing the wrong kind of work.

Maybe-heart attacks at 27 are no good. Neither is the feeling that sitting at your desk is a slow crawl to death. That slow-crawl-to-death feeling is always a bad sign. (Life lesson. You’re welcome.)

Coupled with the growing anxiety and poor health (I was an epic insomniac, due to the stress, which wreaked havoc on the other non-work parts of my life), I also knew that this path wasn’t for me. I knew that I wanted to do something bigger, something creative, something big-dreamy-life.

And even though I didn’t know what that something was, I quit my job. Not only did I quit the job, I also decided to let go of the MBA that I was just about to start working towards.

Essentially, I did exactly what any “career expert” would tell someone to do.

I did the crazy thing…which brings me straight into success secret #5:

It’s okay to feel like you’re crazy when you’re on your entrepreneurial journey. The crazy faith will serve you well. So well.

When you are in business for yourself, there will be times when people look at you like you’re crazy. In fact, there might be times when people actually say to you, “Are you crazy?”

The best answer: Why, yes, I might just be.

Own it, Love. That crazy will be your momentum. It will be your enthusiasm. It will be, quite often, the only thing that keeps you going as you work towards your dream business.

PS. My new big crazy dream: to not only meet Oprah one day, but to be the next Oprah. That’s right, y’all. I’m saying it out loud. You think I’m crazy? Thank you.

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image credit: Brittni Mehlhoff for papernstitch

Tiffany (Moore) Han, CPCC is a life & business coach for highly-creative people who arent living the highly-creative lives they want. Just yet. With provocative questions & hard-edged encouragement, Tiffany helps skittish someday-ers become fiercely focused creators “” and proves that dreams do come true. But only when you demand it.