My love affair with handwriting, stationery, and the epistolary arts has been an obsession bordering on mental illness.
I have my father to thank, or perhaps blame.
Growing up, I often found Dad at the family room table, writing legal decisions with his Parker 21 fountain pen in perfect, copperplate cursive.
Legal pads filled with Dad’s exquisite handwriting were stacked beside his leather attache case. There was always a bottle of Parker “Quink” ink to refill his fountain pens.
Other times, Dad would be at his bedroom desk, inking letters to family and relatives. I loved to sit and watch as his beefy hand guided the fountain pen across the page.
A letter always seemed to me like immortality because it is the mind alone without corporeal friend. — Emily Dickinson
Beyond the calligraphy of his handwriting, the content of Dad’s writing was equally beautiful. A bibliophile, Dad’s lifelong habit of reading taught him how to write with eloquence and depth.
During my university years away, Dad sent me weekly letters. Updates on the home front, usually accompanied with some cash.
College buddies knew that my father’s Friday letters meant I’d be flush with beer money, but I always made them wait before hitting the local pub to buy a round. Because I wanted to savior my Dad’s letter, with its old-school handwriting and fatherly advice.
Dad enjoyed his work as an administrative law judge and resisted retirement until the age of 79. By then, I was already well into my career in law enforcement. I lived in an adjacent town, and Dad usually phoned me to catch up, rather than write.
I missed his letters.
One Christmas, following Dad’s retirement, I presented him with a beautiful, leather-bound journal.
“Now that you’re retired, Dad, you can write your memoirs!” I joked with him. But it wasn’t really a joke. Maybe a bit selfishly, I wanted Dad to fill the journal with his wisdom, family tales, and enduring memories.
Sadly, he never did.
Don’t pay no mind
Gugu Nkabinde, Sheldon Tatchell, and Mokgadi Mabela may not know one another, but they are entrepreneurs whose success stories share a common ingredient. An ingredient, unfortunately, not found in my father’s empty journal.
Great ideas often start by identifying a need. Gugu Nkabinde realized that when it came to women’s undergarments, there were not a lot of options for women of color.
Nkabinde observed that most of women’s underwear consisted of white or peach tones, leaving women of color with few options that didn’t show through white or sheer clothing.
Nkabinde’s experience in the makeup industry, and her understanding of skin tones, led to the idea that she could create underwear suitable for women of color.
Per the website 200youngafricans.co.za:
Gugu Nkabinde has launched Africa’s first skin-colored underwear range, Gugu Intimates, driven by the insight that representation in key categories such as underwear is vital. In the year since its launch, Gugu Intimates has disrupted the undergarments industry as a result of Nkabinde’s understanding of how carefully thought-out clothing can support and expand women’s confidence.
Gugu Intimates is now a thriving company and testament to Nkabinde’s entrepreneurial vision.
Sheldon Tatchell wasn’t happy in a suit and tie, working 9–5 pm in the corporate world. His real passion was cutting hair.
Tatchell left his job to open a barbershop, located on the stoep of his cousin’s internet café 10 years ago. Tatchell had a knack for connecting with customers.
Tatchell moved and opened his first barbershop, but there were challenges. While Tatchell was away on his honeymoon, his business partner ran the barbershop into the ground. Later on, employees stole from the business.
Despite the setbacks, Tatchell worked hard. Eventually, his efforts took off, and he named his business “Legends Barbershop.” Legends Barbershop recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and opened its 50th store.
Mokgadi Mabela is in the honeybee business, thanks to her grandfather. Her grandfather used his savings from World War II to purchase land and begin a small beekeeping operation, which he passed on to his family.
Mabela was an International Relations graduate, but she left that field to carry on her family business and legacy as a beekeeper and producer of quality honey. She also wanted to do something about the decline in bee populations in South Africa and the world.
Despite the many challenges of competing in the competitive honey market, Mabela found success with her business, Native Nosi.
What is the common success ingredient that launched the entrepreneurial success stories of Gugu Nkabinde, Sheldon Tatchell, and Mokgadi Mabela? It comes down to two, simple words.
Just start
The world is full of dreamers who talk about the business they’re going to create. There are plenty of folks hoping that they will be discovered, but they never take action.
The following video (about Nkabinde, Tatchell, and Mabela)perfectly illustrates the negative, self-defeating chatter we all hear in our minds. But then the video hits us with the uplifting lyrics:
Don’t pay no mind
I’ll be just fine,
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For a chance to sing my song
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What about you? What entrepreneurial idea or creative songs are dancing in your heart? What’s holding you back from chasing those dreams?
Musicians don’t retire; they stop when there’s no more music in them. — Louis Armstrong
“Don’t pay no mind” to the excuses, fears, and negative chatter in your head. Life is too short for regrets. Don’t retire your dreams.
The key is to “just start!”
The two-minute rule
There are several reasons why people refuse to “just start.” Some are afraid they’ll disappoint loved ones who have a different vision for their future. But it’s unfair for others to live your life for you, however well-intentioned.
Some people are trapped in unfulfilling but “comfortable enough” jobs that provide a degree of financial security. And because misery loves company, coworkers and bosses often dissuade you from leaving. Also, having family members that depend on you makes it that much harder to make changes.
Self-doubt is another factor preventing people from chasing their dreams. Nobody wants to fail, although failure can be very instructive. We learn from each stumble, and those lessons can lead us to future success.
Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly. — Robert H. Schuller
Waiting for perfect conditions is yet another stumbling block to “just starting” on your dreams. Most successful people dealt with imperfect conditions, but they started anyway. Do your research, plan, discuss it with family, and then dive into your dream.
Kristina Karlsson is a successful Australian entrepreneur. Her website biography notes:
Kristina Karlsson is the Founder and Creative Director of global Swedish design and stationery business, kikki.K, with stores across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Hong Kong and sold online to stationery and design lovers in over 150 countries worldwide. She’s also a sought-after international speaker, a passionate learner, self-improver, and the proud mother of two children, Axel and Tiffany, with her partner, Paul.
On Kristina’s stationery website she shares a blog post and podcast segment titled “The Power of Just Starting with Kristina Karlsson.” Refer here.
In the blog post/podcast, Kristina echoes the theme of this essay, which is to “just start.” But she shares a useful technique called “the two-minute rule.”
We all know that starting is the hardest part. Per Kristina’s blog post:
So, how does Kristina tackle this? She has a little rule for herself to start, with just two minutes to begin with, whatever it is she needs or wants to do. No matter what it is you’re wanting to do or dreaming of starting, take two minutes to take the first steps — even if that’s just writing a list of what you need to do — and you’ll be amazed what you’ll get done. So, what will you choose to ‘just start’ today?
The magic of the two-minute rule is that it creates momentum. You’ve probably experienced it before. Ever start a workout when you didn’t feel motivated, only to find yourself energized after you started? That’s momentum.
Momentum is the magic ingredient that will keep you going once you get started. Sure, sometimes fatigue, illness, or stress can thwart momentum from happening. But more times than not, momentum will kick in once you start.
The thief of time
After my father retired, he became the chairman of the homeowners association where he lived. His background as an administrative law judge made him indispensable in negotiating an upgraded water and sewer system for the neighborhood.
A few years later, Dad passed away. I have photocopies of his many letters to homeowners during his time as chairman. I also have his empty leather journal. He never found time to write in it.
Procrastination is the thief of time. — Edward Young
I can’t help but imagine what stories, family tales, and snippets of wisdom Dad could have written in his impeccable cursive. The journal could have been a treasured piece of his legacy, instead of empty pages.
So here’s my advice, dear reader:
Just start
Stop putting it off. Stop making excuses. Let the story of my father’s empty journal light a fire in your belly.
There’s never a perfect time to start. Start anyway.
Your dreams are waiting for you.
Before you go
I’m John P. Weiss. I draw cartoons, paint, and write about life. To follow along, sign up for my free Saturday Newsletter here.
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This post was previously published on Medium.
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Images by John P. Weiss