Are you confusing proximity with participation?

A thought I had the other day while waiting for my flight at Lanseria........ Some people will work at airports their entire lives, watching planes take off and land every single day, yet may never board one themselves. They are surrounded by travel, destinations, and journeys, yet never take one of their own on the flight.

The same pattern actually shows up in many places. Someone can work in a five-star hotel, serving world-class meals to guests every night, yet never experience that level of dining themselves. Someone can work in a luxury car dealership, seeing beautiful cars every day, yet never drive one. Someone can work in finance, moving millions across accounts daily, yet never build wealth of their own.

This made me think of "proximity". As human beings, and in business, we love proximity, but the reality is that proximity is not participation.

The same confusion often shows up in entrepreneurial ecosystems. Many entrepreneurs believe that being close to successful people automatically creates opportunities. Knowing someone successful in business does not mean they know you, understand your business, or will support it. Proximity to people with influence is not the same as access to their networks, capital, or markets.

Listen, you can attend conferences, listen to powerful speakers, and shake hands with successful founders, yet never build the business you dream about for yourself. You can sit in rooms where opportunities are discussed, deals are structured, and ideas are born, yet choose not to step forward and participate because being around opportunity isn't the same as stepping into it.

I believe (And I said "I" because it's my opinion and you're allowed to have yours)..... I believe social media has amplified this confusion even further. Entrepreneurs often mistake likes for a sales pipeline. A post can receive hundreds of likes and comments, yet generate zero sales. Engagement can create the illusion of traction, but businesses are ultimately sustained by customers, revenue, and value creation, not by applause.

The airport worker sees the planes. The hotel worker serves the meals. The employee watches the deals. But the traveller boards the plane. The guest enjoys the meal. The entrepreneur takes the risk. Entrepreneurship requires something that proximity alone cannot give you: participation.

Participation means raising your hand. Participation means stepping forward. Participation means taking the risk and boarding the plane. Life often places us close to the very things we dream about. But it is participation that determines whether we ever experience them. Entrepreneurship rewards participation, not proximity.

Yours in participation,

Keitumetse Lekaba