Happy Fourth of July!
On this day, it’s worth remembering that our Declaration of Independence states that we are endowed with “certain unalienable rights” and that among these are “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
While in high school, my daughter Gina was a national finalist in the Junior Achievement Young Entrepreneurs competition and was eligible to enter their speech contest. The topic contestants were given was: “The Quest for Success.”
Gina came to me to brainstorm. Given my background as an English instructor, I suggested she look up “quest” and “success” in the dictionary. She found that a synonym for quest was pursuit and that one for success was happiness. “The pursuit of happiness?” we said to one another, recalling the phrase from the Declaration of Independence. She went on to write a speech stating that the “pursuit of happiness,” guaranteed to us in the Declaration of Independence, also meant the right to strike out on one’s own and become an entrepreneur.
I’m happy to report that Gina won the speech contest! The cash prize helped pay for her first year of college. Pursuing entrepreneurship as a high school student set her on her path toward success.
In launching a business, entrepreneurs fulfill their right to strive for success and pursue happiness on their own terms. Entrepreneurship, in fact, is a declaration of independence.