“Learn to row against the current”
Rowing against the current is an expression used to imply that something or someone goes against what the majority thinks, does or says. It is also used to express what someone has to fight against the circumstances to get something.
Due to life circumstances, I was lucky to be able to spend much of my childhood with the person I have most admired ever, my grandfather, and if he taught me anything, it is to row in the direction that your heart marks.
I will never forget the courage you had to leave a career that you were forced to study by your father, to dedicate yourself to what you really liked, studying chemistry. In fact, the same day you finished your degree and went to give your father your grades, in which several honorable mentions appeared, the only thing that occurred to him was to tear them up in front of you, in disapproval.
And it is that, sometimes, the price of dreaming big and the desire to do what one really wants, comes at the expense of it. I believe that having the ambition and determination to know that you are rowing in the right direction, when even those who love you the most question it, is one of the most beautiful things in life. Expressions that we all have had to hear such as: "finish your degree first", "you need a degree", "play it safe and then we'll talk", "why don't you apply to this job, they are taking a hammer people?", are the ones that little by little are cooling our ambition and aspirations.
The other day, I was watching an interview on the BBVA program "Aprendemos juntos" with the philosopher José Carlos Ruiz, in which he exposed something that was really interesting to me:
“Epictetus said more than 2,000 years ago that every person should start by considering the following to make good decisions: what things depend and what does not depend on ourselves. Among those that depend on oneself, are our opinion and our ambitions, because they are ours and no one else's, so it will be very important to take care of them. What we aspire to in our lives is something that one has to decide from their own circumstances and context. The problem appears when the inspirations come from outside. When you try to imitate and copy the dreams and aspirations of other people, on a personal or professional level, you are putting your future in the hands of others, which could cause you great dissatisfaction.”
From my experience, this is appreciated as we grow. When we are children we have illusory dreams that little by little are transformed into more realistic ideas. Over the years, those dreams and illusions fade, and that child that we each carry inside becomes an adult, who focuses on finding stability.
I fell in love with a concept created by David Rogers, which he called “INNOVATION ADOPTION LIFECYCLE”, which was later adopted by Seth Godin in his book “Purple Cow”. This idea consists of a graph that describes a sociological model of how a new or innovative product is accepted by consumers. In this idea, he also talks about the term "Early Adopters", which is a group of people who tend to lead and make a difference. It is that type of people that when they buy a product with which they are really satisfied, they are not able to contain the desire to tell others about it, that is, people like me. The perfect client for the famous “word of mouth” marketing to be covered with success.
Last Tuesday, February 22, I could say that it was one of the happiest days of my life. Finally, after six years, what was once a 16-year-old's dream has become my second job. That is why today, after having overcome many obstacles that life has thrown at me, I have to be proud of having achieved my goal, of having finally registered as a freelancer and of being able to dedicate myself, with the seriousness and responsibility that this demands, to what I like the most.
What began as a hobby, with no intention of making a profit, other than dressing my colleagues, with the philosophy that if it comes out, let it come out our way, without ads or promos, organically and because we truly seek to do something different, it has ended up becoming an incredible community, an authentic clothing brand and not a mere e-commerce. We have been growing for four years without a website because, until today, we had not considered it necessary since Sprynks has been, is and will always be a social brand, where the most important factor will be the human one and not the commercial one.
Before finishing, I would like to thank all the "Early Adopters" who, basically, have been my friends and people closest to me, without all of them it would never have been possible for me to get here. I can't find the way or the words to express how grateful I feel and how much I love each one of them.
I owe you absolutely everything and I will not let you down.
THANK YOU 💚
JS (Sprynks)
Interview with Jose Carlos Ruiz:
Philosophy to question the world around us. José Carlos Ruiz, philosopher and professor