It's OK If You Don't Want to Be an Entrepreneur You don't have to apologize for thinking it's sane to stay in your hard-earned comfort zone.

By Daniel DiPiazza

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Why do you really want to build a business?

To make your life more exciting? To have more freedom? To make more money?

You probably want more of everything! Great, because in addition to all of the above, business can also be:

  • more terrifying,

  • more depressing,

  • more exhilarating,

  • more mundane,

  • more lonely,

  • more aggravating,

  • more unsure,

  • more annoying,

  • more liberating,

  • more expensive,

  • more time-consuming,

  • more joyful,

  • more unpredictable,

  • more stupid

  • and, of course, more wonderful.

Related: 25 Best Habits to Have in Life

So it's not that you won't have fun starting a business. You will. A ton of fun. But you'll also go through a multitude of other emotions, states, feelings and stark realities, with that same fun mixed in randomly. So now is the time to ask yourself: can you deal with all the elements of entrepreneurship, or are you just down for the fun stuff?

It's ok if you really just want to experience the fun stuff that entrepreneurship has to offer. I'm not judging. But I am pointing out that it's simply not the way it is. Unfortunately, you don't find out a lot of the other elements until you're so deep in the game that it doesn't make sense to quit. There's so much talk online in the business space about "hustle" and never quitting because so many entrepreneurs are too deep in the game to even consider turning around.

Once you're a few years deep, it's much harder to just "move on." So you have to be extremely tough mentally in order to make it. That's where the "hustle" mentality comes from. Not because entrepreneurs are some rare breed that don't get tired — but because mental and emotional resilience is a learned trait that must be developed in order for us to survive.

I'm not trying to scare you. I'm just trying to share some things I wish people would have told me in the beginning.

Related: Entrepreneur's Best Advice for Good Sleep

People start businesses hoping that it will solve their biggest problems, all the while forgetting that any new challenge -- and make no mistake, running a real business is a huge challenge -- will inevitably create new, previously unforeseen problems. If you're down for that, cool. If you're not, just be honest with yourself. There's no shame in getting a good job. Honestly.

For as much as I preach about building your own thing (and I do strongly believe in it) I'd rather see you just be honest with yourself. Do what's actually going to make you happy, rather than trying to do something that isn't "you" because looking at hundreds of pictures on Instagram every day has tricked you into thinking that you're missing out on something.

Trust me, you're not.

Related: 12 Life-Altering Financial Secrets From Top Wealth Creators

And let me assure you, there is nothing morally redeeming about being a business owner. A lot of the talk online equates having your own company with "giving back" or living your life "to the fullest," as if there's no other employment setting where this might be possible. False!

Entrepreneurship doesn't bestow or imply any moral or ethical benefits. Having a business isn't a necessarily better way of living, it's just an other way of living. This is your life. Any decision that you make for yourself will be correct -- as long as you're honest about what you really want.

Wavy Line
Daniel DiPiazza

Entrepreneur Leadership Network Writer

Author

Daniel DiPiazza is the founder of Alpha Mentorship and the director of the Profit Paradigm accelerator for agency owners.

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