Monk_and_the_Riddle

The Monk and the Riddle By Randy Komisar I must admit I knew nothing about entrepreneurship before this course started, I didn’t even know how to spell it (think I still don’t). But while reading this book and as the storyline advances and with each page read I found myself noticing similarities and identifying with Lenny. How do I want to live my life' I know I have pondered on that questions several times in my life, but after reading this book, I find that question which used to arise every now and then usually as a conversation starter, has now become a permanent thought in my mind ending with several exclamation points. Am I aiming towards a deferred life plan or am I really focusing on what I love to do' Am I Lenny 2.0, missing the “Big picture” and only focused on “Results” as my philosophy' Am I overestimating my product or underestimating my market' I started believing that this book would be one of those “How to” (Entrepreneurship for dummies) book, some guy’s lovely memoirs masqueraded as an instruction manual for newbies in the Entrepreneurship business, I was indeed very glad to be proved wrong. The book starts out with an awful pitch from Lenny, which resonated to a recent interview with a head hunter, who gave me feedback post interview in terms of too much energy & overly expressive in my CV (Which he handed back with huge X’s everywhere). Sometimes you need a “Randy” to tell you that indeed you have worked hard but that it is not enough and you can always continue to change and improve things. Mistakes are not always bad and can provide a good learning opportunity, by drafting and re-drafting my CV several times it could only get better, as what happened with funerals.com that went from being a “casket selling - only interested in money making business” to a “Community and family oriented business – interested in guiding and helping people”. Thinking back and relating to some ideas that came to mind while reading the book, I kept thinking of the parallel of entrepreneurship and love, “the pitch” being the initial first impression or first coffee in which chemistry and instinct play a big part not withstanding that the guy in front of you looks perfect on paper (single, financially independent, attentive and gentlemanly). The courtship “retriever” phase being the journey, from the time you are getting to know him to the time you realize that this relationship might have some potential and decide to give it a go or a “test run”, having faith and being courageous in what you hope to be something great but keeping in mind that it will take lots of time and energy to get it right. The growth “bloodhound” cycle is where you learn things aren’t as peachy as they seemed in the beginning and it takes tenacity and hard work to keep a relationship growing and prove that you can make it work. Finally the long run “husky” phase, in which patience and commitment is key to keeping the relationship in tact and a float even if you do get ideas of bailing out from time to time. I was particularly enlightened by the part where Randy realizes the difference between drive and passion, passion is a gut feeling that grabs hold and pulls impulsively, drive is self motivated and pushes us to what we think we want. How many times have I mistaken drive for passion' In reality I believe that as the book indicates this was due to my lack of self-awareness and that I let other people’s experience and knowledge guide me thru when I had to make life-changing decisions. This in turn made me think about something that has been instilled by my father and his father before him, “Strive in life to earn a good standard of living for your family and yourself, then focus on what you want to do”. I am happy to announce that after reading this book, I have found the perfect Christmas present for my father and hope that at least it strikes a cord, motivating him to change his views on education, work and life philosophy. My background, education and culture support the idea that I need to provide a sense of financial security for my immediate family, my duty as a first-born. Luckily my mother is the other half of the coin, and always supported me and advised me to do “whatever made me happy and to always follow my heart without losing my head”, thinking back to crucial decisions in my life, my mother’s advice has always been more present in my mind than my duty to a deferred life plan. Having both perspectives on a platter, has made me a very open-minded person, I believe in the fact that everyone has the ability to adapt and make the best of their situation, no matter what that is, ups and downs is only a perspective and learning whether by success or failure is key to enjoying the journey. In general I thought this book to be very enlightening and full of useful information, as many of the tips and advice given in the book regarding startups and entrepreneurship can also be applied to every day life. It also inspired me to maybe one day return the favor and be a “Randy” to some “Lenny” out there with misdirected drive or lack of passion, who I can hopefully advise and steer in a positive way. I believe the big message and purpose of this book is to make us see the advantages to being open, adapting to change, new possibilities and accepting that in fact the journey is the joy, the goal is just a goal. Be it a personal or a professional goal, having expectations and setting priorities is key but knowing to stop and enjoy the process and the decisions made to get to the “Do what you love phase” is as rewarding as getting there.