Romancing the Muse . . .

Throughout history writers have attempted to gain the attention of the Muse, that indefinable source of inspiration that will provide the impetus for the story they feel compelled to tell.  They have used every sort of trickery and guile to accomplish this, all designed to convince their particular Muse of their worthiness to receive her gift.  Many — most in fact — fail miserably in their attempts owing to the fact it is Muse, not the writer, who determines the worthiness of those upon whom she would bestow her gift.  And she does not bestow her gift lightly on any and all who beseech her.  She must be pursued, wooed, romanced and seduced into relinquishing her gift of inspiration.

It is more than a little obvious I envision the Muse as female.  I often imagine her, a young, nubile girl, draped in diaphanous fabric, perched on the corner of my desk, daring me to look up from the page.  But I do not dare turn my attention from the task at hand, no matter how beguiling an image she projects.  She is testing me, daring me to abandon the work and place myself in thrall to her charms.  I cannot.  I must not.  If I surrender, even a moment, to her now, she will forsake me, abandon her perch and go in search of another more deserving.

I cannot convince her to impart her gift, her genius, through words.  No prayers, no matter how fervent, can convince her of my worthiness.  Any fool can pray; they do it all the time.  I must act to demonstrate all my skill, technical mastery of my craft; to show — not tell — my dedication to the task at hand by constant practice, perfecting each line, each word until they are honed to knife-edge sharpness.  I must do this again and again and again.  Then, perhaps, when I have practiced sufficiently to prove I possess the skill, the determination to use her gift to its fullest advantage; when I have demonstrated the endurance to see the task through to its conclusion, then she may lean forward from her perch and whisper, breathily, in my ear the words I long to hear, “You are inspired!”

What You Need To Succeed . . .

The decision to start your own business is only the first (half) step along one of the many paths to entrepreneurial success.  The second (half) step is to select the path — the kind of business — you intend to pursue.  It isn’t as simple as it sounds; you don’t just pick the first business that happens to pop into your head.  A little research is called for here; you don’t want to start a business you nothing (or next-to-nothing) about.  Your business should be something you know more than a little about, something you’re good at and something you enjoy doing (at least most of the time).   So, when considering what kind of business to start, don’t stray too far from your area of expertise.  One exception to this is the “hobby”.  There are a number of hobbies — beading, quilting, metal craft, etc. — which seem, at least on the surface, to naturally lend themselves to a business.  Not all hobbies lend themselves to business, not all hobbyists are suited to running a business.  If you pursue a hobby as a means of satisfying your unfulfilled “creative urges” or as means relieving the stress of your day-to-day job, you may want to rethink your “hobby-as-business” idea.  If your business takes off, the demands of the business side may cause you to resent having to neglect the creative side of the business; likewise, the stress of doing business may take “all the fun” out what was once an enjoyable pastime.  (In the case of the former, one solution could be to take on a partner; in the case of the latter, find a different business idea, one that utilizes the skills you use in your hobby, and keep the hobby as a stress reducer.)

The next step in the process is determining where your business will be located.  For the vast majority of newly minted entrepreneurs, home is the logical first choice of locations.  Once the exclusive domain of “crafters”, home has become the launching pad for such diverse businesses as engineers, interior designers, consultants of all stripes and even television and movie producers.  There’s literally no limit (within the bounds of local zoning laws) to the type of business that can be at least started at home.  There are a number of advantages to starting a business at home; the elimination of expenditures associated with renting or leasing a separate business location, transportation to and from said location, clothing costs (no need to maintain a closet full of suits or a “business appropriate” wardrobe) and, more importantly for those with small children, no (or substantially reduced) childcare costs (you are, after all, at home).

Regardless of what kind of business you choose, or where you choose to base it, there is one thing — one element — critical to its success.  Commitment.  Starting a business is not a “I’ll try it for a little while” kind of thing.  It requires a determined effort to launch, maintain and grow.  It requires doing whatever needs to be done to ensure its success.  It can’t be done “when I feel like it” or “when I get around to it”.  Business is a hard taskmaster.  Its demands are unceasing.  Its appetite insatiable. 

Having said all of this, there is really only one way to insure business success . . .

I wear this bracelet as a constant reminder of what it takes . . .

 P.S. you don’t have to actually die . . .but you should be willing to!