Rick Meekins
Rick Meekins is the Managing Partner at Aepiphanni, a Business Consultancy, an Atlanta, GA based small business consultancy that provides Management Consulting, Implementation and Managed Services to business leaders and entrepreneurs seeking to improve or expand operations.
Taking the Plunge
I must start out by saying that I am a spiritual person – not meaning I am someone who is disconnected or whose thoughts run opposite of what might be called “common sense,” but rather someone who has sought out and found a part of the completeness that so many people desire. Take a look at this article by my friend, Walter, at Threshold-Consulting, “Some Thoughts on Spiritual Balance,” for more thoughts on achieving balance. The hardest part of starting a business is making the commitment. It’s not getting started or coming up with an idea…it is the commitment. Once the business is up and running, it suddenly gets really, really hard! There are too many unknowns out there! What made the difference for me, what keeps me going, is the fact that I am pursuing my passion and my purpose. My passion is the thing that drives me to stay up late at night, then get up early in the morning, thinking about this thing that I am doing. Some people have it in cooking, others find it in fishing or carving or painting, or just making money. My purpose is the thing that gives my life meaning. This is the answer to “What am I here on Earth for?” While I can’t answer either one of those for you, I can tell you that getting there is a journey, starting with knowing yourself. What were those things that you liked to think about or liked to do when you were a kid? For me, it was business, and helping the “little guy”…and here I am. A couple of resources I have for you on the topic are “The Purpose Driven Life,” by Rick Warren, “The Path,” by Laurie Beth Jones, and “Discovering Your North Star,” by Dr. Dwight “Ike” Reighart. All three of the books are amazing, and speak to finding the fulfilment and “The Pursuit of Happyness” each of us have. I am firm believer in taking the leap. You can, too. Last cliché…”Just Do It!”
