What I have to say may upset you, or it may inspire you: We all have amazing dreams and aspirations, but many people will never achieve them because they were set up to live a mediocre life.

When you look at our society and the way you were raised, you were taught to get good grades in school so you could get into a good college. Once you got your acceptance letter you studied hard so you could get a good job. The day came where you put on your cap and gown, walked across the stage and began your life in the professional world with the hopes of climbing the corporate ladder fast.

You work hard so one day you can save up enough money to retire. Fast-forward 20 years and you’re in your 40s working a job that doesn’t fulfill you and you ask: Is this all life is? Am I doomed to a life of mediocrity?

Entrepreneur and consultant Justin Lafazan and I discussed this topic. Justin’s perspective is that people are starting to challenge the status quo and redefine what the path to success looks like.

So how can you stop being a cog in someone else’s machine and venture out into the world of entrepreneurship? Here is how you can take control of your life and switch from employee to entrepreneur:

1. Recognize that you have a clean slate in front of you.

If you’re still reading this, then you probably want to have the choice of leaving your current job for your own business. Great!

First, you first have to recognize that you have a clean slate in front of you. I have a lot of friends who began their careers as CPAs and do not feel that they spend their days living their true calling. Yet so many of them feel that if they were to start a business, they would have to leverage their CPA.

Don’t let your past experience be a weight that holds you down from doing what you were born to do!

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