We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stephen R.C. Hicks. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stephen below.
Stephen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
Thinking and feeling that you are the entrepreneur of your life. Much of education focuses on the authorities’ pre-existing beliefs, following rules, being told what others’ expectations are for you, and being guided or even pushed into pre-existing social slots.
Entrepreneurs, by contrast, verify and learn for themselves, develop their own vision, make their own commitments and devise their own methods.
A closely related metaphor is to think and feel that your are the artist of your life.
Young artists learn from others but verify and explore for themselves, and as they mature they create their own vision and find their way independently in making it a reality.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I write, teach, and make videos at the intersection of philosophy, entrepreneurship, and education.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
When surveys are done to measure life satisfaction, those who self-report the most satisfaction share some common features.
They actively chose their own careers, friends, and other pursuits rather than passively following along with what others decided or provided.
That “actively” of course requires energy, self-initiative, a willingness to stumble and fail and come back from those frequently, tolerance of disapproval, and perseverance.
So my question as educator teaching younger people has been: How can I foster those traits and virtues in younger people?
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
A lesson I wish I’d absorbed earlier is: Money doesn’t get the ideas flowing; instead, ideas get the money flowing.
So when thinking about resources, the most important resource is a new, creative idea with potential. That’s what gets you excited, and your excitement is contagious to those who have other resources that can aid you.
Too often people think it’s the other way around: First (they think) I need to get a pool of money and/or other resources, and then I can be creative. That’s a formula for putting things off or for waiting until it’s too late, sadly.
Start now with whatever you have.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.StephenHicks.org
- Twitter: @SRCHicks
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CEEChannel