The word wantrepreneur makes me wretch. 

It should make you wretch too. Why? Giving it a fashionable word embraced by the masses makes the mere want acceptable, but when you say it without putting forth the action to get past that want point, that’s all it will ever be. It’s fake. Mark Manson makes a point that there is something for mediocrity. It’s that feeling of having enough in the here and now. It’s not a feeling of discontent of need more, get more, society that we are in. There is nothing wrong with this.

Think of it this way, just because our current society has driven you into believing that in order to be somebody worthwhile you have to be smart/sexy/driven/organised/skinny/special in some way doesn’t mean that you actually do. It doesn’t matter in the end since only those closest to you will be hugely impacted by your life, and only those will remember the little details of things that you did to make them feel more welcome on this planet. That, believe it or not, is huge.

The word wantrepreneur makes me wretch because it’s taking that away from people by implying that it’s OK to use the label — as long as it makes other people accept you despite your desire to just chill and do your thing. If this is you, embrace it. Own it. Celebrate it. Drop the label and go hug everyone you know and say, “Thank you for making me feel important and awesome in this crazy world.” Feel the freedom that comes with that.

If you’re an entrepreneur, something eats at you do to a little more.

The line between a true entrepreneur and someone that’s applying a fashionable label to themselves to feel better is an inner desire that can’t be quelled. It may not be there from birth. It may be sparked when you’re in the twilight years of life. There are no guidelines for when it pops up, but there is a burning need that makes you pace and drive others mad. It’s that feeling that you not just have an idea, but you really have to act on it because if you don’t, you’ll be possessed by demons the rest of your life.

It is times like these when you should take a queue from Oprah and move past the idea that this needs to change, and move onto the what are you going to do about it. The thing is, it doesn’t have to be dropping your day job and running away to some remote island like others would lead you to believe would make you happy and successful. No, it can be as simple as acquiescing to that need in your down time. An hour a week? A few hours a week? There is no specific time limit, but if you are a true entrepreneur, the desire to work on it will pull you along way past any sane hour of the day to keep working. (And yes, your family and friends will be irate, but that’s another post.)

If you’re on the wishing side and want something to change, a better option for you might be to look into Ramit Sethi’s classes about finding your dream job or doing a bit of freelance on the side to figure out what you really think about your potential choices. Seriously, I’ve heard nothing but good things about both his “find your dream job” track and the “earn more money” track. One will give you a taste of the change you want while finding your dream job, the other will give you a taste of the entrepreneurs world and help you get past the “want”.

B-B-But, how will I know if my ideas will sell?

Sure, you can do market studies or even play it safe and become the world’s zillionth marketing specialist to help poor lost wantrepreneurs relieve troubles. It is a proven business tactic, so I wouldn’t hold it against you. But if you have something special, even in an over-saturated market, you should focus on that. For example, if you have a very specific tactic that you used while working in sales that worked every single time, you could sell tickets to a course. It’s marketing, but not the same classes teaching you how to use social media that you just co-opted from someone else’s free ebooks.

Sometimes instincts — or mum’s instincts — are what matter more than what everyone else thinks. It’s times like these that your idea is even more terrifying.You’ll feel like no one is there behind you or no heroes to look up to. But you know what?

It’s all been done before.

The to finding out more information and your own network based around your ideas is to never stop learning and growing. Ever. Every class you take that takes you deeper into your passions, ideas, dreams, and future also introduces you to an amazing network of people who you can bounce ideas off of, ask for assistance and advice, and kindred spirits that breathe the same passions as you. With them to collaborate with, your dreams will start to blossom.

Before you know it, you’ll go from wanting to living.