I just finished reading “The Open” by tennis prodigy Andre Agassi.  I grew up watching him play and whereas I didn’t dig his temper tantrums, I loved that he wore his own style of clothes and didn’t automatically ditch his true self to fit in.

In reading his memoir, however, I learned how much pain he felt trying to meet the expectations of others- his father’s relentless perfectionistic goals that were impossible to meet and his first wife, Brooke Shield’s love affair with celebrities and social status- something to which he just couldn’t relate.

His shift from misery in what I call  “other-centered” to true happiness in “authentic-centered” is beautiful to observe.  Once he marries tennis star Steffi Graf and starts living his life in HIS terms- his business, his life, and his joy flourish.

Some great lessons here about our lives and businesses.  As entrepreneurs, we have the freedom to create authentic businesses that are true extensions of who we are.  We have the opportunity to be “authentic-centered”- a prerequisite for real happiness.  Why would we do anything else?