Starving Doubt

Last Thursday, I gave a talk on entrepreneurship to an exclusive boys high school in Makati. One of my favorite questions coming from the students was on doubt. It's one thing to deal with people who doubt you. It's more difficult to deal with self doubt.

I answered with what I usually advise to those who are pursuing new ventures - find the right people, like-minded and self-motivated. These will be your friends who will serve as your support group whenever things don't go as planned or when a dream seems to be too daring.

Given that I have multiple support groups, I still can't help but feel nervous and doubtful after our presentation in our social entrepreneurship class yesterday. Harvey Keh, one of the panelists, made me realize that Rappler will be the main competitor of Forza Publishing Group, our army of online magazines. Rappler has more than a million views a month, headed by their executive editor who used to worked in CNN and was the head of news department for ABS-CBN.

(In the board room of the developer of Bonifacio Global City, where we presented out idea)

Who am I to compete with a giant like Rappler? They have the people, the funds, the talents, and the credibility. It would be a foolish attempt!

So I was feeling emo this morning when suddenly, my friend texted that he has an idea. So we discussed his idea in a coffee shop. To cut it short, his idea will eventually give birth to our fourth online magazine, something which deals with entrepreneurs/business. We have a magazine for the youth, for the developmental sector and for culture already on its way. An online magazine on business will be the perfect addition.

With that idea, I was once again excited. I remembered Steve Job's quote - "stay hungry, stay foolish." I started Forza Publishing Group because I believe that stories of inspiration should be shared to all. Stories will compel people to move. Through these stories, we want to make good values trend in support of nation building. I didn't start Forza to become a media giant. I'm driven by the passion to share stories - chismis of successes. I realized that if you feed yourself with a strong compelling vision, it will starve your doubt to death. I have to believe, and let the vision pull me and everyone who believes in it.

Start With Why by Simon Sinek

If you are familiar with TED (not the recently released movie), you must have heard of Simon Sinek whose talk ranks as one of the most viewed speeches in the biggest portal of online conferences in the internet. He didn't talk about a new technology that will revolutionize industries, but something more powerful.

It's the secret to why Martin Luther King was able to rouse an inspired army of followers that toppled down racial segregation, or to why Apple has this cult-like following with people even setting up vigils outside Apple stores before the day of a product release.

Sinek voiced out the unarticulated and often taken for granted WHY - the reasons behind why we leave the safety of our nine to five jobs to pursue entrepreneurship, why we buy a Mac over a higher performing laptop or why we still trust our guts even though logic says otherwise.

Aside from using the stories of leaders behind institutions who have inspired a loyal base of followers, Sinek explains his theory by using Biology - the limbic and neocortex parts of the brain - to influence even the hardest of the skeptics.

"Start with Why is a powerful and penetrating exploration of what separates great companies and great leaders from the rest." I highly recommend this book to people who are brave enough to take the plunge to pursue their dreams and take with them people who can turn their visions into realities.