Hitch Your Wagon to a Star

 A few weeks ago, Tamara and I chatted on the phone about our combined vision for our freelance writing company. We do this quite often, actually, and it helps keep us enthused about what we’re doing. We chat about our goals and whether or not we’ve reached them. We lay out our schedules for the upcoming couple of days so everyone is aware of what everyone else is doing. Heck, we usually devote a fair amount of these chats to gossiping about whatever’s going on in our little corner of the blogosphere.

During one such conversation, Tamara and I were talking about some folks we know online who have their own company. I said to her, “I’d sure like to hitch our star to that wagon!” A moment later I realized the error of what I’d said. “I’d like to hitch our wagon to that star!” I corrected myself, chuckling at the mistake. We talked a little more about how much we admired these business owners and how we would like to get on their radar and then said our goodbyes.

For the next couple of days, I just couldn’t get that phrase out of my head. Was the fact that I said it backward some sort of Freudian slip? Was I subconsciously trying to hold us back by letting someone else’s reality define how high we are able to soar? I certainly don’t want to tether our blazing star to someone’s earth-bound wagon! After agonizing over it for a while, these ruminations led me to determine that I’d simply gotten tongue-tied. 

I realized this because it is so clear that Tamara and I are absolutely inspired by the success of those around us. Every time we hear about a colleague who has received an acceptance from a big-wig magazine, for example, it reminds us that we can do it, too. Watching partnerships grow into successful businesses fills us with confidence about our own potential. Little throw-away lines that someone adds to a blog post (”I’m so busy I’m turning down work!” “It was clearly time to increase my rates!”) perk us right up, as we realize that we’re working our way into the same position.

 We are inspired by the work that other entrepreneurs are doing. Sometimes we’re flat-out flabbergasted by it. The Shane & Peter Blog talks a lot about finding the right mentor, and I have to say that we recognize them every day in the words and deeds of the people we meet through our business. There are so many entrepreneurial ventures out there that we follow with much interest. Sometimes it’s because the business owner is sharing such amazing information, like Naomi with her Marketing School over at IttyBiz or Deb Ng’s work on Freelance Writing Jobs. Other times it’s because he or she has done something we aspire to do, like Allena Tapia with her About.com page. It’s also possible that we’re just ga-ga over a company because they are willing to publicly declare their million-dollar goal for 2008.

 We are more than ready to hitch our wagon to the myriad of brilliant stars we see shimmering around us. In fact, we’ve gone and hitched it to our very own star. We hope to be able to inspire others as much as they’ve inspired us.

 How about you? What entrepreneurs out there are inspiring you, and how are they doing it? When you get a moment to (metaphorically) look into the night sky, which stars twinkle the brightest?