RVE Podcast host Rose Willard shares how important it is to challenge yourself and sharpen the basic skills needed to keep you entrepreneurial journey going strong.
It’s no secret that building and running a small to medium-sized business is no easy task. This is especially true if you’re more of a solopreneur. Add nomadism to the equation and you just added fifty pounds to your backpack while ascending a steep mountain.
How can you sharpen the skills of the underlying “machine” that keeps you, the entrepreneur, going strong? Challenge yourself.
Let me emphasize, that this article is not about your business, it’s about you!
The words you’re reading may sound like every other cliche expatiating guru out there, but these words are based on the amount my husband and I “moved the needle forward’ during the building of our first business.
How did we do this? By challenging ourselves on a personal level regularly, we found ourselves to be better prepared for the pitfalls of entrepreneurship. To put in another way, think of challenges and adversity as exercise for your entrepreneurial brain.
You can recite affirmations and motivational quotes all day long with very little improvement. But force yourself into a difficult and scary challenge and you’ll grow exponentially. Even if you fail!
How do YOU force adversity living on the road?
If you’re new to being a nomad, this in itself is a challenge. Even scary at times. But after you master the basic skills, you need to continue to challenge yourself. Find new ways to grow by embracing the following.
Physical challenges
Maintaining a high level of personal fitness sits at the base of the pyramid. If you do not already exercise, begin a routine on a regular basis. We owned a gym, sold it, and hit the road without gym equipment. No excuses for us. We maintained our workouts in and outside our RV without missing a beat. There are plenty of “at-home” programs.
If you already exercise on a regular basis then it’s time to find new challenges. You have the ability to point your RV toward any part of the country, so make locations with challenging activities a part of your itinerary. For example, there are several long outdoor staircases around the country. Camp nearby for a week and work to improve your time to the top every day you are there. Your heart will thank you!
Or, you can seek out new hikes with each being more difficult than the last. Perhaps you always wanted to learn a martial art. Stay someplace for six weeks and work one-on-one with an instructor for a crash course. Investment in yourself is well-spent money.
Two other important aspects that may be challenging for some are dietary and sleep. An entrepreneur who is fit and fuels their body with good quality nutrition wields a sharp sword. Challenge yourself more by maintaining the discipline to eat clean, nutrient-dense foods. That discipline will carry over to how you run your business.
Making quality sleep a priority will also keep the sword sharp. Disrupting your sleep cycle by staying up to stream a mindless movie on Netflix will move the needle backward!
Mental challenges
You also have to exercise your brain to keep it sharp (to state the obvious). Find an online chess group who plays better than yourself. Or, simply play with whoever is traveling with you. Maybe checkers is more your speed. Then learn how to play chess.
There is no shortage of online courses you can take to challenge yourself. These will not only sharpen your mental acuity, but also teach new skill sets that enhance your business performance. You could even learn a new language or an instrument. No, I’m not suggesting you carry a cello in your RV.
Conquer the activities that scare you and issues that arise in your business will seem trivial.
Or try my personal favorite way to challenge yourself. Seek out activities that scare you to pieces. Go hiking at high elevation, try skydiving or scuba diving. Of course, this list is subjective and far from complete. Conquer the activities that scare you and issues that arise in your business will seem trivial.
Lastly, you could sharpen your “selfless” edge and volunteer to help others through their personal adversity. This allows you to go beyond social responsibility and improve society two-fold.
Social challenges
How much would it help your business if you found a coach for persuasive speaking? Or you could do a nomadic circuit of Toastmasters groups around the country. I don’t know about you, but my public speaking could always use some work.
If you can muster up the strength to do an open stand-up mic night in front of a group of strangers, your adversity meter will surely be taxed. But only to challenge yourself, and walk away stronger!
This is one of the most valuable assets to possess when growing a business from anywhere. It’s a personal skill worth improving through challenges.
The Outcome of Challenging Yourself Personally
Make these personal challenges a part of your travels without making them about business. You’ll have plenty of time to focus on business growth. Especially if you’re getting stronger as a person.
It goes without saying that self-improvement in any fashion will carry over to all facets of your life. Especially entrepreneurship!
You have a unique ability to point your RV anywhere you like. Why not base a part of your itinerary on self-mastery and overcoming personal adversity?
Remember: The world is your playground, so make it a playground of challenges!
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