As an African women, I have discovered something within that I am so proud of..We are all entrepreneur and most of us are social entrepreneur. We know that when there is a need somewhere, it can be answered by acting. I am from the Cote d'Ivoire, and I can tell you one thing, the women in Cote d'Ivoire are real hustler, they are afraid of nothing, give them a gum and they will sell it. They always want to sell something, they always want to create something. Most of the time they will sell fried plantain (allocco) on the street with fried fish, or they will sell juices, extension hair... This spirit is all over in West Africa, from Gambia to Ghana, from Cote d'Ivoire to Mali, from Senegal to Nigeria. Those women are driven by the spirit of entrepreneur. What makes them social entrepreneurs is that they do what they do for their family, their community, to create an income that will break them out of poverty. That's the first reason they become social entrepreneur, it is not to become rich, it is to better their life and the life of others. Their success is completely different from the definition of success in the North. Success is to be able to give give more food to their children, (three meals a day), give them the opportunity to get an education and a chance to have a life without struggling, their success is to be able to send their children abroad to get a higher education, their success is to be able to buy cloth for their children. Their success is not to buy the last Mercedes, or buy the third vacation houses, or go on a vacation to the Bahamas. Those things are not their motivation, their motivation comes from their children, the laugh of their children in the house, looking at their children enjoying the meals that she just cooked from their hard labor....
As an entrepreneur or social entrepreneur, we have to be able to define success,it will motivates us to keep on going through this journey of Life.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Being an entrepreneur..What does it really means? Part 1
I have been calling myself a social entrepreneur for the past year now. What does it really means to be a social entrepreneur. From the Wikipedia "A social entrepreneur is someone who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage a venture to make social change (a social venture). Whereas a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return, a social entrepreneur focuses on creating social capital."
I am a social entrepreneur, someone who believes that one can change his/her life by helping other change their life. But you may ask "How can you help other if you cannot even help yourself". That's where the spirit of social entrepreneur takes place. By helping other, you are helping yourself. How is it so? There are questions that you may not understand in your life, there are things that you are lacking, those are the same things that many others just like you might lack or do not understand. By helping others, you learn from others point of you, you listen to them, you try to understand why they are where they are and it helps you discover where you stand and the next steps that you can take to improve your business, your life. Basically, it is others who are helping you by talking to you and you being available to listen.
As a social entrepreneur, what motivates is the burning desire to be a part of a movement, or change. We want to change the way we live, the way we "think". What do I mean by changing the way we think.I mean, we want everybody to think that they can achieve anything they desire to. It is about what you have inside. I am sure many of you have heard or read the book "Think and grow rich", or "As a man think". Those two books focus on the mind, saying that "We are what we think". If you think you cannot guess what you will not be able to, until you change your mind set and realize that you can. You can do it all, We can accomplish it all, we just have to change the mind set of cannot,and switch it to the "Yes I can". You might be an entrepreneur, social entrepreneur, professional, job seeker...you may say to yourself I cannot do this or that because I have never done it, I do not have the experiences, I do not know any body, Who am I? Who will listen to me...you might have many negative thoughts about yourself, as long as you have those thoughts that were you stand, that's who you are, that's what define you. But once you say to yourself: "I do not know how to do it now, but I can learn, I do not have the experiences but I am a fast learner and I willing to learn, I do not know anybody but I am willing to go out and shake hands"...you start to change your mind set and you become someone else, someone who works in your advantage instead of against you.
I may have gone out of the subject of social entrepreneur to what you have inside is who you are. We have to understand that being and entrepreneur is a long process it does not happen in a day, it is just like a child, it takes time to understand and move with confidence..just like it takes time for a baby to crawl, and walk...
I am a social entrepreneur, someone who believes that one can change his/her life by helping other change their life. But you may ask "How can you help other if you cannot even help yourself". That's where the spirit of social entrepreneur takes place. By helping other, you are helping yourself. How is it so? There are questions that you may not understand in your life, there are things that you are lacking, those are the same things that many others just like you might lack or do not understand. By helping others, you learn from others point of you, you listen to them, you try to understand why they are where they are and it helps you discover where you stand and the next steps that you can take to improve your business, your life. Basically, it is others who are helping you by talking to you and you being available to listen.
As a social entrepreneur, what motivates is the burning desire to be a part of a movement, or change. We want to change the way we live, the way we "think". What do I mean by changing the way we think.I mean, we want everybody to think that they can achieve anything they desire to. It is about what you have inside. I am sure many of you have heard or read the book "Think and grow rich", or "As a man think". Those two books focus on the mind, saying that "We are what we think". If you think you cannot guess what you will not be able to, until you change your mind set and realize that you can. You can do it all, We can accomplish it all, we just have to change the mind set of cannot,and switch it to the "Yes I can". You might be an entrepreneur, social entrepreneur, professional, job seeker...you may say to yourself I cannot do this or that because I have never done it, I do not have the experiences, I do not know any body, Who am I? Who will listen to me...you might have many negative thoughts about yourself, as long as you have those thoughts that were you stand, that's who you are, that's what define you. But once you say to yourself: "I do not know how to do it now, but I can learn, I do not have the experiences but I am a fast learner and I willing to learn, I do not know anybody but I am willing to go out and shake hands"...you start to change your mind set and you become someone else, someone who works in your advantage instead of against you.
I may have gone out of the subject of social entrepreneur to what you have inside is who you are. We have to understand that being and entrepreneur is a long process it does not happen in a day, it is just like a child, it takes time to understand and move with confidence..just like it takes time for a baby to crawl, and walk...
Friday, October 1, 2010
No matter how low you may feel inside...
It is all up to you to lift up your spirit, and believe in the NOW. We all face different issues in our daily lives. Rarely do we see the good in the difficulties. It is said in the problem lies the solution. It is easy to say than to believe. But really, why is it easier to relate with anybody through pain rather than through happiness. Is it because we feel more pain than happiness or is it because it is easier to acknowledge the pain than the moment of happiness?
Pain, suffering, fear, anxiety, I just hate those feeling that stop human being from being alive and themselves. The more we are in this state of mind, the more nothing is done, the more we feel confused. Why do we have to be afraid? why do we give more importance to sadness compare to happiness.
I do not know and I always wonder why sometime it is easier for me to let fear take over me rather than courage, confidence. When I know that it is through confidence and courage that all is created. The problem is fear, the solution is confidence. In the problem lies the solution. The problem is confusion, the solution is clarity of mind.
Be determined, Be confident,Be courageous, Believe in yourself. No matter what you do it takes time, just like it take time for a tree to grow, a child to become an adult. But always remember this there is a beginning for everything and an end to everything. No matter the difficulty that you are facing today there will be an end to it, just do what you have to, believe in yourself and hold on to this dream of yours. It is not easy but the reward is...I do not know what the reward looks like, but I see my dream, I see what it looks like and I am happy...And I say the reward is HAPPINESS...Who doesn't desire happiness, we all do!!!Believe anyway you have nothing to lose but all to gain. Life is a win win situation.
Pain, suffering, fear, anxiety, I just hate those feeling that stop human being from being alive and themselves. The more we are in this state of mind, the more nothing is done, the more we feel confused. Why do we have to be afraid? why do we give more importance to sadness compare to happiness.
I do not know and I always wonder why sometime it is easier for me to let fear take over me rather than courage, confidence. When I know that it is through confidence and courage that all is created. The problem is fear, the solution is confidence. In the problem lies the solution. The problem is confusion, the solution is clarity of mind.
Be determined, Be confident,Be courageous, Believe in yourself. No matter what you do it takes time, just like it take time for a tree to grow, a child to become an adult. But always remember this there is a beginning for everything and an end to everything. No matter the difficulty that you are facing today there will be an end to it, just do what you have to, believe in yourself and hold on to this dream of yours. It is not easy but the reward is...I do not know what the reward looks like, but I see my dream, I see what it looks like and I am happy...And I say the reward is HAPPINESS...Who doesn't desire happiness, we all do!!!Believe anyway you have nothing to lose but all to gain. Life is a win win situation.
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