Woke, But Not Awake

You hear a lot about being "woke" in today's world and society.  This post is not about politics or political views, but it is about a societal trend that impacts entrepreneurs.  And it offers a great lesson to succeed at higher levels.  Let me explain...

I recently heard a group of young people discussing some of the more divisive topics of the day and talking about how older generations "aren't woke enough" to understand.  As I heard them speak and go through some of the mental gymnastics it took to avoid the reality of the topics and transform them into their views, I could not help but think one very important question, "Where do your thoughts come from?"  

I wondered if these people have ever stopped to think about that question.  Do they know where these things they were saying came from?  Are they original thoughts that they came up with on their own and decided that they truly believe?  Or were they put there by someone or something else and they just blindly followed and regurgitated what they had heard or been told, because it was the socially correct thing to do among their peers?  

I suspect it was the latter because much of what they were stating to be true is not in the real world.  They just have not had the experience or time to learn it yet.  And it will probably be a painful, rude awakening to them when they do.  

And there in lies the lesson - for everyone, especially entrepreneurs.   Well, actually it is two lessons.  The first lesson is simple - reality always wins.  It may take some time, but reality will set in at some point.  

The second lesson, and more important one, is that we must live from true choice and original thought.  In today's age, it is so easy "not to think" and to just state what one hears from the abundance of sources of information now available.  Most people do not take the time to ask themselves, "Where do my thoughts come from?" "Did I come up with these things on my own?  Do I believe them?"  or maybe, most importantly, "What do I truly believe?"

Entrepreneurs - when was the last time you sat down and put pen to paper and asked yourself, what YOU truly believe?  What do you believe about yourself?  Your business?   Your life?  What is your worldview?  

These are important questions you must answer to gain the clarity of who you are and what is possible for you.  It will also give you the ultimate gift, the ability to live from true choice in your life and not be run by the thoughts or programming from others.  Do not live your life just going along with the herd or following the lemmings off the cliff.  Choose what you think and believe, who you are, and what you want.  If you do so, you may decide not to be "woke," but you will certainly be awake.