Zen | 1 | Path

"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they
sought."

Basho

The essence of being a Zentrepreneur (now on referred to as "Z") is not based on following another's path, but instead focusing on your path.

If you follow another's path, you will only learn what they have learned. You will only see what they have seen. You will lose focus on what you seek. The essence of Z is centered around your entrepreneurial spirit.

It is important to define what you seek and clear your mind of external influence. Define what you want to create. See the world not the way it is, but the way you think it should be.

Once you are able to live in the moment and remove the dependency on past and future events to define your path - you will be able to embrace Z.

Before you can truly take the first step in your journey as an Zentrepreneur, you need to accept that the past and future have no relevance to your achievements today. Certainly, there is value in your experiences in the past and your vision for the future, but they do not effect positively or negatively your actions today. Focus on the present.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Buddha

Once you are focused and absent of all external influence - define your next step. Release your mind from the limitations of goals or milestones you have defined. Everything is meaningless and irrelevent that is beyond the next step. The path has yet to be defined, therefore the destination does not exist. You are building the path in the here and now, and no longer following a path paved by others.

I know what you may be thinking - "If I completely ignore past and future thoughts, how do I define my goals? My plan?"

The answer is "You don't". By ignoring past and future thoughts, you are now able to truly focus on what matters - the NOW. You are liberating your time to focus on what you need to do today in order to continue to build your path. A plan is worthless if there is no action. Each day you focus on the NOW, you will gain new enlightenment on where your path is going.

Think of it like holding a flash light and walking through your house with no lights on. You are forced to depend on your instinct and what you can see directly in front of you. By focusing your mind and time on the next step, everything else becomes irrelevant. You eliminate all distractions (past and future) that are on the path, and focus on what is critical - your next step.

By focusing on NOW, you will be able to direct all your energy and time to what is most important, and remove all distractions of past and future. If each step you take is successful and receives your full attention - then the path you follow will lead you exactly where you want to go.

Summary:

Focus on your next step, and let each step build your path. Like a bricklayer building a road, focus your attention on the next brick, and remove from your mind the last brick laid and the road yet built.

One of the foundations of Z is to focus on the NOW and you will create your own Path.