Asteeeg! Beyond traditional careers and conventional lifestyle

Earlier this November the documentary “Call of the Entrepreneur” was shown in the Ateneo Professional Schools in Makati with the film makers giving a panel discussion after the screening.

The documentary tells the story of three different entrepreneurs- a Michigan farmer, a New York banker and refugee from China. Mainly the film discusses how entrepreneurs have uplifted their lives and at the same time changed the world more than we ever thought. While the film has a subtle Christian theme, it was not preachy and it can be very inspiring for any starting entrepreneur.

Some interesting points from the film:

• Practically, all major wars have certain roots in persecution of a minority class of entrepreneurs. We can relate this to what Robert Kiyosaki often talks about as the “Robin Hood ideal”, a very negative way of looking at entrepreneurs as greedy folks. This often leads to massive persecution that reverses the positive contributions of these people in society.
• The single most important action a government must take to quickly and permanently improve the nation is to encourage and protect the nation’s entrepreneurs. If successful, this eventually leads to the improvement of quality of life of the rest of the people.
• Individual entrepreneurs with their vision and persistence, which can be described as “faith”, have solved many global problems and have changed the world as we know it many times over. They have often put their whole lives at stake to accomplish their goals, which in the end benefits not just them but countless other people, directly and indirectly.
• By calculating logical distribution of risk, lowly back office statistician and accountants made possible colossal undertakings such as galleon exploration and trading. We can see the value of this in modern world in corporations, insurance, investments and banking that powers the economy of all nations.

So if you’re an entrepreneur, be proud. If you’re just starting, persist. But if you find yourself being bitter to successful entrepreneurs, get a reality check; you may not see it but these guys are most likely improving your life and of those around you.