The force that buoys them along this insane and uncertain path

Is there a relationship between atheism and entrepreneurship?

Cambridge scientists seem to think so.

As reported in a journal of economics, their study suggests a correlation between the percentage of atheists and agnostics in a given state, and that state’s level of entrepreneurial activity.

It seems that all of the religious variables they tracked tend to correlate negatively and significantly with a state’s productive entrepreneurship score. They say perhaps time spent honoring god, going to church and paying is time not spent doing something more productive in the business world.

But what their data fails to show is the correlation between entrepreneurship and faith.

That’s a different story. And one that’s almost impossible to measure.

Because while you don’t need to be religious or even believe in god to start a business, you almost certainly need faith. Lots of it.

And not just faith in yourself. But faith in your idea, faith in your vision, faith in your intuitive choices about the work, faith in the process to lead and teach you, faith in other people, hell, faith in faith itself.

That’s a pattern you notice about businesspeople who bring their ideas to form. They don’t know what’s going happen because they can’t know. Nobody can. Everyone’s just guessing.

And so, their faith, however their heart defines it, is the force that buoys them along this insane and uncertain path of creativity.

Seneca writes about faith his classic book of letters to a stoic:

For there is never a moment when fresh employments will not come along, we sow them, and for this reason several spring up from one.

Do you have that kind of faith in your creative work? If not, then maybe the language is what’s tripping you up. Maybe you’re more like me and you prefer to use the word trust instead of faith.

As in, trust what matters before you understand what it means. Trust that you’re headed in the right direction for your career. Trust that your business is where it’s supposed to be.

How else are you supposed to keep your vision going?

If you’re spending your time telling roomfuls of people that your idea is not only possible but going to be successful, then you basically have to hang your balls out there with some degree of faith.

Here’s an exercise you might try. Go to your local bookstore and grab ten business memoirs. Focus on the books that tell the company story from the perspective of the founder.

Now flip to the end of the book to the author acknowledgements. The entrepreneur may give thanks to their lord and savior, or even use words like god or faith or universe. But their trust and belief in the idea that they knew might not work will be apparent.

Listen, nobody said bringing your idea to form was easy.

But if you don’t believe that its manifestation will unfold in the grander scheme of right timing, then it’s going to be a lot harder.

What if you trusted the doors of fulfillment to open when you were ready to pass through them?