First, a couple stories. One: A good friend of mine owns a handful of Ferraris, and has more on the way. Some he “just” purchased. Others he designed: not just the standard “build your own car” by choosing from a standard set of exterior colors and interior designs, but custom colors, paint schemes, interiors, and other elements. In short, at least two of his Ferraris are basically one-of-ones.

Whenever I run across a Ferrari, I send him a picture, and he always responds enthusiastically with the model, year, and a couple of fun facts.

One time I sent him a photo and he responded with “2004-something-something-something.” (I don’t remember what it was. My knowledge of Ferraris begins and ends with the prancing horse logo.) “You could probably get one for around $80 grand.”

Passion and identity

Since the Ferraris I usually stumble upon seem to be in the $500,000 range, I tried to be funny and wrote back, “Ah. Poser.”

“No,” he instantly responded. “The value of the car is irrelevant. Least expensive or most expensive, doesn’t matter. Own a Ferrari, you’re a Ferrari owner.”

Two: During a reception after a speaking gig, a man said to me, “I really want to be an entrepreneur, but I know it will take years before I can start my own business.“

I immediately thought about what my Ferrari friend had said. “You don’t have to wait,” I said. “Sign up with Uber, get paid for your first passenger, and you’re an entrepreneur.”

The same is with teaching a music lesson, or taking a programming gig on Fiverr, or anything: All you have to do is start, and you’re an entrepreneur. Everything else is just a matter of degree.

Embrace your entrepreneurial spirit

To quote the Stoic philosopher Seneca, who was quoting Epicurus, “The fool, with all his other faults, has this also: He is always getting ready to live.” The same is true for whatever you want to be. If you’re waiting to start, you’re just pretending. You want to be, yet you are not.

But the moment you start, however small, tentatively, however humbly? You are what you want to be. As long as you keep trying and don’t quit, the rest is just a matter of degree.

That’s true for any pursuit. You don’t have to run a marathon to be considered a runner. The first time you go for a jog, you’re a runner. Even if you “only” run a mile two or three times a week, you’re a runner. You don’t have to be Taylor Swift (speaking of one-of-ones) to be a musician; as long as you regularly play — no matter how poorly you, or others, think you play — you’re a musician.

You’re already on your way

Work for yourself, not someone else, and even if only occasionally, and for relatively small sums of money… you’re an entrepreneur.

Waiting to start doing something you want to do, that you want to become, is a form of conditional thinking: “First (this) has to happen; then I will finally be able to do (that).”

But waiting won’t make you the person you want to be. Preparation and planning are nice, but the moment you start is the moment you have become.

The rest is just a matter of degree.

And once you’ve started, the more time and effort you put into what you have become, the more likely you’ll reach the degree of success in that pursuit that you hope to achieve.

But first you have to start.

Inc