I wonder if you have ever called yourself an inventor or an entrepreneur? There is room for innovation in every industry, in every corner of the world. Yet, I often find that we frequently miss the opportunities to claim our role in future thinking, at least when it comes to labeling ourselves as innovators. Even in traditional work environments there is room for improvement and a constant need for more diverse ideas. The slightest need for something new can sprout inventions or research that progress us in exponential ways, and anyone of us could be the catalyst for that change.

How can we break the mold of seeing entrepreneurship and innovation as a specialty subject? While some may reserve the word entrepreneur for business-oriented start-ups or newly formed tech companies, the definition is much more fluid in my world. Simply put, an entrepreneur is someone who believes wholly in their ideas. Someone who pursues those ideas with dedication and courage. Perhaps, it is in the form of simply improving the atmosphere and culture in your workplace by arranging the furniture to better capture the warmth of the morning sun. Maybe you were not the first to see a need for this progress, but you could be the first with the courage or dedication to see those ideas through. The nuanced vernacular of entrepreneurs is one rooted in resiliency, and it is one we could all benefit from. There is room to unlock the confinements of our own work implementing an entrepreneurial mindset by seeing something in a new light and imagining the improved.

When I was in elementary school, I would sell ice cold lemonade in the heat of the summer and sit on the sidewalk for several hours at a time waiting for kind neighbors to stop by. Since a young age I wanted to pursue my ideas on my own terms. But, even after countless lemonade stand type of ideas into my adulthood, I still hesitated to call myself an entrepreneur until recently. I have found that, in a way, what can hold us back from claiming our role as innovators is ourselves. Our own lack of appreciation for the work we do, the ways we are unique, and the space we take up in the world can all be a part of what stifles our entrepreneurial spirit. Where innovators truly succeed is their ability to transform these challenges into attributes. I encourage those of you who have not yet called yourself an innovator to instead think of ways that you may have used an entrepreneurial mindset to progress an idea forward. While it could be a challenge to see yourself as an influencer, it may be time to brainstorm the ways in which you have pushed forward and improved- in both visible and invisible ways. Your own entrepreneurial spirit could be resting just beneath the surface, not yet fully realized.

In past times it may have not been rational to call yourself an inventor. However, in this ever changing, swiftly moving world, it would be irrational to restrict our efforts to what currently exists. Today new job titles are constantly being created, with job descriptions that are yet to be determined. As we move into 2021 the need for a dramatic shift rings loudly and our challenge is to step into the roles that encourage these changes. As daunting as that sounds, I am inspired by the dynamic ways that others have increased their resiliency and innovative mentality through the turmoil of last year. We can learn a great deal of strategy from those who call themselves entrepreneurs. But more importantly, we should learn to see the ways in which we all participate in using entrepreneurial thinking and foster that participation more readily in our daily lives.