“Because the things you are afraid of are the most worthwhile”
Relax, you don’t have to necessarily bungee jump to start an online business and this is not about bungee jumping business either. This is just my story about the bungee jump that inspired me to start my online business!
The WHY:
If you ask me what is your BIG WHY in this life? I’d say it is my family. I am your average guy in mid-thirties, who has a job, pays his bills, barely manages pay cheque to pay cheque, spends most of his awake time in his office, weekends are at child’s swimming classes or birthday parties, goes to restaurant with his family once a month, lives an economic life and saves money whenever he could.
Did you notice the “most of the awake time in office” part?? That office job pays my bills. But one jump from that bridge with those ropes tied to my foot made me realize that my life was more than just paying bills.
The Bungee Jump:
Yes, I am here to share my story about the bungee jump that inspired me to start my online business and pursue my freedom lifestyle. The fear kicked in the minute I held that ticket to jump in my hand. Everything around me looked dull and sad from that minute onwards, I was unable to focus and have a decent conversation with another human being, there was this constant mental picture of this bridge and the waters below in my mind for the next 40 hours, I was scared, nervous, anxious and hyper excited all at the same time.
I had nightmares and I had to make huge efforts to think of happy thoughts, things like time spent with my daughter at the park, at the swings, the bush walks, the bike rides, I even whispered in the dark asking Santa to help me get some sleep (yes that sounds crazy, I am aware).
The result of this drama that was happening inside my head was that I woke up and spent a lot more time holding hands and walking with my wife and daughter more often, hugging them frequently, carrying my daughter in my arms in every opportunity I got, I just sat in the sun doing nothing but watched my daughter do whatever she was doing for hours together, I did so many things that I would normally NOT do or overdo to show my love and affection to the people I most love, but I did. I guess the fear pushed the button inside me that was labeled “just in case if something went wrong in the jump”.
Now, why did I have to make an effort to explain what I went through before the jump in such detail?
For one simple reason, WE DON’T PRIORITIZE OUR FAMILY AS MUCH AS WE SHOULD. We are stuck in this chaotic work life balance pendulum with a rhythm of its own that never made sense in the first place, do you agree? We keep ourselves busy with our vicious 9 to 5 jobs, fill our empty minds with entertainment and some how we are all immune to this idea.
There comes a time in everyone’s life when we start searching for answers coz there has to be more to this life than jobs, bills, and entertainment right? My time to search for answers did come not so long ago. I searched online, in books, in conversations with people, I searched in everything that I could get my hands and mind on. Everything led me to just one simple answer. Make time for your family and choose your lifestyle. It truly was that simple.
Where did my big scary bungee jump and my quest for more meaningful life lead me in all this? It led me to a place where I now consciously spend more time with my family each day every day and have a quality work-life balance.
To make this happen, I had to make some real hard choices, think long-term, spend time on what matters to me, I had to believe in achieving what I once thought was impossible, invest in my skills, had to create a solid foundation for consistent income. I finally took the plunge and started my own online business. Just like my big scary bungee jump!
Yes, starting an online business and spending time with your family are all simple things to do if you have the right conviction. I said simple, not easy!
So, my hope here is only to have added value to you by sharing my experience about the bungee jump that inspired me to start my online business, nothing more.
Keep your passion alive!
Siva
Internet Entrepreneur