As many of you know, I co-direct a program through UNITY: Journalists of Color and funded by the Ford Foundation, designed to develop minority media entrepreneurs into tomorrow's business moguls. One of the selected 14 entrepreneurship fellows is a PhD candidate from the University of Maryland and always goes deep with her questions to myself, my business partner or our group.  Her latest query did not disappoint.

"At the end of the day, would you say how much you do is more important than how much you care?"

Nice.  

I wrote back saying I needed to think about that for a bit. In this blog, I've already waxed philosophic about the issues I have with being defined by what you do a.k.a. "The Second Question." But I think she's asking something a little different. I think the question is: What's the difference between caring and doing?

Entrepreneurs must be passionate to be committed, but I could say the same about anyone who is doing what they absolutely love. For them (us) it's not a job, but a calling. We're performing at a high level because we have emotionally committed to an idea or an individual with an idea and we do not keep score, much less check the time to make sure we clock out like everyone else. We considered ourselves different from the masses. We are separatists and we gravitate to others who too have chosen to blaze a path not worn or not even there.

After thinking about that question I determined two things: First, I'm a mentor because I love it and see my professional and life experiences as something that can be shared with equally emotionally committed, highly-driven mentees.  

Second, and I think this is the salient point, is that when it comes to caring and doing, everyone has to find the space in-between those two options because I don't believe it's an absolute, either/or proposition.  We search for the work we love, in the place we want to be. And, since each person is different, so is that place between caring and doing. 

Lastly, and above all else, find a mentor who can talk you off the ledge or (smile) put you on it. 

Be sure you have a tether just in case you slip.

doug@knowledgewebb.net

*Chantal de la Rionda edits this blog