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Time
Can I make a confession?
Time is an area where I'm still in kindergarten. I'm constantly
riding the pendulum between over-committing to being slothful with
the time God provides. So this tidbit on evaluating how much time an
idea will consume, comes from having learned the hard way.
In the adrenaline rush of a new idea, entrepreneurs tend to
underestimate how much time they truly have. Time is so precious, and
God has made us the guard. Sometimes being the guard means barring
entrance to an idea. Other times it may mean casting out something
else less important or being disciplined enough to schedule our time
and follow through. Whatever the course, life will be more peaceful
if we reckon honestly with time.
Health
Like time, we only have so
much physical stamina; we need to be humble enough to acknowledge how
much our bodies can take. Wood chopping isn't the best match for a
female entrepreneur and neither is sewing for those who can't sew
straight for anything (like...ahem...yours truly). It's only prudent
we match our work to our physical endurance.
We also need to scrutinize
what health changes our idea will require. Entrepreneurs have to
fight the temptation to sacrifice healthy, regular meals, sleep or exercise for extra time to work. This will look different for
everyone, since we all have different physical needs, but it is wise
to acknowledge the strains different kinds of work will have on us
and judge it accordingly.
Money
I purposely saved this one
for last, simply because money is usually the first thing we
think about. Yet of all these areas, monetary funds are the
easiest to change. When it comes to funding an idea, we have a two
part question:
1. How much potential income does this idea have and how
long before I see that income?
1. How much potential income does this idea have and how
long before I see that income?
- 2. How much money do I have to spend on this idea?
Question 1 is by far the
most important. Finding out income potential requires diligent
research, talking to those in the field and knowing what your regular
expenses are going to be. Follow Jesus' instruction to “count the
cost” and carefully do your homework on what level of income you
can realistically expect to make from your idea.
On question 2, it is
prudent we only jump into enterprises we can afford. But I also
encourage you to see that sum through eyes of faith. If our idea is
getting a green light from God, His word, our counselors, time
and health then the next step may be trusting God to provide the
dollars. The Christian entrepreneur is always walking the tightrope
between wisdom and faith when it comes to money. Never presumptuously
spend money God has not provided, but as you commit your ideas to the
Lord, be ready for Him to do big things too.
*Blogger Jonathan Milligan
was the first person I ever heard point out that there are six main
areas we all share in life, only his list was spirituality, identity,
relationships, time management, health and wealth. While I did not
agree with all parts of his article and have used no quotes from it,
I did find it very helpful seeing how these areas affect everyone and
want to credit him as the one who identified them.
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