The title of this article alone was probably enough to make you turn off your screen or minimise the window and look around so no one was watching you read it. Well, you can relax. I was just trying to get your attention.
On a serious note, make this the year that you truly lose your virginity. Well, I am not talking about your sexual virginity but rather your “I want to do something different with my life” virginity, or your “I have an idea but I just don’t have time to get it started” virginity, or maybe your “I hate my job but where else am I going to make this kind of money?” virginity, or your “I’m too old, too scared, too set in my ways” virginity, or my personal favorite, “I always wanted to …” virginity.
Well, this whole idea became an analogy for entrepreneurs, created by none other than Richard Branson – founder and CEO of Virgin group of companies. Always with a grinning smile on his face and a model in his arm, he just seems like a guy who enjoys showmanship and being the centre of attention.
His books are must-reads when it comes to entrepreneurship, and, as the multi-billionaire founder of Virgin Group, an international conglomerate of about 400 businesses, he clearly has done something right during his career. One of his most acclaimed books is his biography Richard Branson: Losing My Virginity.
Losing your virginity can be scary, exciting, sometimes awkward, and most definitely life-changing. Losing your virginity means you might encounter some very bumpy experiences, but they will also be some of the best in your life. Losing your virginity means taking a bold step into the unknown and sometimes not being able to turn back, it means accepting a different level of responsibility and ownership for your actions.
Well, in Bangladesh, losing your virginity before the “right time” is a taboo. Hence, we keep waiting for the right time to come. Is it the fear of rejection from family and friends? The fear of rebuke from people you love is, in most cases, the biggest challenge. A lot of communities in Bangladesh lack respect for entrepreneurship and do not consider business owners at par with services.
Being a primary income source for the family also seems to deter young entrepreneurs, and loan repayments bury many ideas. Social commitments like a stable education, a settled lifestyle, a well-paying job, marriage, and family gossip too are several reasons behind the fear of losing the virginity.
Or, is it just the anxiety of the unknown and the fear of failure? Our schools never teach us how to start a business, they merely teach us how to join one. Creative young minds are unaware of whom to approach for advice on the many aspects that go into making an idea a reality, and this lack of awareness may lead to failure even if the idea is a great one.
A failure in turn would lead to not just huge losses in terms of time, effort, and money, but also, as believed, a loss of respect in society. In most families, it is still taboo to think about doing something on your own, let alone discussing and getting support from family members.
So, wondering what it would be like is not a substitute for actually experiencing it. At some point you need to stop reading and hearing about the things you dream of trying and start to really experience them. You can’t make any major changes to your life by being on the virtual end of the experience. You are going to have to lose your fear and your inhibitions to really determine whether the grass is really greener on the other side.
Wishing you were your own boss while staying in a dead end job will turn into professional suicide in the long run. Hoping to learn a new skill won’t advance your expertise unless you actually begin to develop that skill-set. Complaining about your circumstances is like throwing water on a fire while hoping it will reignite.
Dreaming about what you can do with a great idea will not make you the master of your destiny. Lots of people have ideas. Successful people implement ideas. You can take action or keep dreaming, but the outcomes will be very different.
Telling yourself you are too young or old or too afraid to try something you have always wanted to is an excuse that was invented decades ago, to have an excuse on hand whenever you did not want to use the word “regret.” Maybe it’s time to stop with all this nonsense.
Saying, “I always wanted to …” without ever even trying is like promising yourself you will start your diet “tomorrow” every morning of your life.
Start your second career while working at your “just a job.” Invest time or money in learning a new skill. Take up a hobby, learn to code or engage in some activities you have always told yourself you would.
Eliminate your fear of the unknown, performance anxiety, nagging second thoughts, and worries about what others will think. Don’t feel guilty. What matters is what it means to you.
