Mastering the art of entrepreneurship: 8 habits for unstoppable success
In the past, an entrepreneur was a misfit, one who failed to succeed in traditional organizations and institutions. Doing your own thing was once frowned upon, judged, and often seen by the masses as failing, whereas today the story is very different. Entrepreneurism is now synonymous with innovation, creativity, radical success, and limitless freedom of choice.
The people who were once shunned and misunderstood are now the ones leading the way in the market. Entrepreneurs today are loudly celebrated and revered across many key sectors. It takes a melting pot of unique behaviors, traits, and abilities to be a successful entrepreneur. Here are some of the top ones to cultivate, adopt, and implement for optimal results.
1 – Hunger
Entrepreneurs are hungry, and they need to be. Hunger is the fuel that keeps their engine going. They are driven by a deep-seated urge to improve upon what once was, to win or find the next solution. Often, they yearn to positively impact, be of service, or leave a legacy. Without hunger, it’s a struggle to remain committed and motivated, come rain, shine, snow, Christmas, Ramadan, or summer.
An entrepreneurial person isn’t someone who dabbles in their spare time or when it’s convenient. They wake up at 5 AM to be interviewed virtually by a broadcaster or meet with a potential client in an opposite time zone. They take the red-eye flight to and from meetings to buy time and ruthlessly release people who don’t support their vision and mission. An entrepreneur is passionate, invested, and emotional about their goals and will often be misunderstood as workaholics when in fact, they are having the most enjoyable time building their empire.
2 – Seeing in the Dark
An entrepreneurial mind can see what, to most, is invisible and has an ability to perceive potential in situations, people, and opportunities even when the odds seem in opposition or unfavorable. The development of such vision and intuition can be evoked with focused practice, and doing so will place you way ahead of your counterparts who may be wasting time excessively planning, researching, or troubleshooting. Training your mind to look for the good, positive, and promising when the terrain is seemingly pitch black or dubious will give you the type of edge that entrepreneurs across the globe are leading with today.
3 – Superbly Aware
Know thyself—the mantra of all wise entrepreneurs. Spending time developing your self-awareness, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and the practice of trusting your gut will bring you closer to the source of your success.
Becoming super conscious of yourself and your surroundings will enable you to understand when to adjust your own behavior or attitude, when to walk away from a situation, or when to take on a new project or venture. This type of mindfulness also supports you in avoiding laying blame in times of struggle or delay by taking ownership. Claiming responsibility is awesome because it allows you to change something if it isn’t pleasing or working.
4 – Trust Yourself
An entrepreneur relies a lot on inner guidance and therefore needs it to be strong and well-developed. Strengthening your trust muscle will enable you to power through tumultuous times or situations with more certainty and ease.
Begin by employing your inner compass often in daily life, for small insignificant things, so that you can test yourself, and then gradually for the bigger, more crucial decisions. You are born fully equipped with your own inner satellite navigation system. Most organizations and institutions do not provide support or encouragement for the deployment of this innate ability, so it becomes underused, hence weakened. Just as a muscle can be rehabilitated through lifting weights, this too can be easily reformed with practice.
5 – Radical Positivity
Develop a positive and expectant attitude. Your optimistic outlook will be like a wrecking ball to a concrete block. When your mind is focused on the good stuff, it will breed more of the same, bringing you more outcomes and circumstances to be positive about.
Expose yourself to people who uplift and inspire you. Surround yourself with individuals and groups who are nailing what you desire to achieve and immerse yourself in stories of success or triumph over adversity and struggle. Train your mind to focus on the positive outcomes that you desire and be strict with yourself. Keep your thoughts on a short leash and when they wander off path, yank them back in line much like you would a mischievous puppy. Radical positivity is also made up of gratitude—you can’t be negative if you’re feeling grateful.
6 – Risk Tolerance
An entrepreneur has a superior ability to cope with uncertainty and risk than the average person. This strength acts as a buffer between intense discomfort, quitting prematurely, or not starting at all.
By engaging in well-chosen strategies to survive the negative impacts of risk, you will reduce the possibility of restricting your progress and results due to a weakened emotional state. If you’re not naturally wired this way, you can use brain-training strategies to rewire the outdated nature of your mind’s primal tendency to keep you safe in the face of danger (AKA different, risky, or uncertain).
Anxiety and fear, when mismanaged or misunderstood, are damaging. It is useful to become acquainted with your default response to risk and uncertainty and then factor in a counterbalancing activity into your regular personal growth work.
7 – Tenacity of a Two-Year-Old
Become so rigid and stubborn about your goals and results that you’ll allow nothing to get in your way. Even though you must be flexible with your approach (which is advisable to adapt to the ever-evolving terrain), a tenacity to continue no matter the obstacles comes from a healthy attachment to actualizing the vision, desire, or idea.
Simplified—be stubborn about getting what you want. Utilizing your emotion along with logic to hype up your eagerness to attain your goals will act as fuel to sustain you during periods of adversity. I’m not suggesting you throw yourself on the office floor when things aren’t going your way, but a quiet foot stomp and whispered declaration of commitment to yourself will keep you in strong momentum. Try repeating the simple mantra: “I can do this” next time you find yourself wavering.
8 – Patience of a Saint
Rome was not built in a day! While rapid results are not impossible, they are not to be relied upon. Patience really is a virtue of a successful entrepreneur—patience and the ability to quiet their ego when it is trying to persuade them that it’s not working because it’s taking too long.
Celebrating and acknowledging the smaller triumphs and successes are paramount in keeping you engaged and committed. Variety in your schedule, projects, and systems will keep things fresh and exciting; you’ll be far more likely to keep going even when things are mind-numbingly repetitive.
Enlisting the outside support of a coach or mentor is also a good way of plugging those gaps in your motivation, enthusiasm, confidence, and drive. Motivation and momentum are easily cultivated in short bursts, but it takes intricate and continuous re-routing to maintain it through many years of growth and development.
Ready to Take Your Entrepreneurial Journey to the Next Level?
Success isn’t just about strategy—it’s about cultivating the mindset, habits, and resilience to thrive. If this resonates with you and you’re serious about unlocking your next level, let’s connect.
For more information, coaching, consulting or speaking enquiries info@maria-k.life.