Whether you have an existing business or are getting ready to launch
your business, one of your most pressing priorities is how to develop
and strengthen your entrepreneurial mindset. Yes, building a business
takes real work and effort, but it is best done with an
attitude that
embraces the initiative and risk involved in becoming your own boss. You
must be flexible, yet determined, dedicated, yet comfortable with
frustration, and a trailblazer, yet a cynic. This might sound like an
ambitious task, if you don’t already possess these characteristics.
However, you can use these seven habits to cultivate the mindset of a successful entrepreneur so that you’re set up for success.
- Keep a positive attitude.
Having a positive attitude is not about pie-in-the-sky promises or a
maintaining a Pollyanna-ish attitude. It is about seeing things in
perspective and framing things in a positive light. Rather than asking
yourself “What can I do to avoid this situation,” ask yourself “What can
I do to correct this situation?” The right attitude embraces
challenges, always looking for the lesson buried in the difficulties.
- Learn from failure and move on.
Disappointments can be difficult, but they are also great
opportunities to learn. Instead of being ashamed of the mishaps and
blunders you’ve made, seek the lesson you can learn from your mistakes.
By learning from your defeats, you grow stronger. Each one of those
experiences helped shape you as an individual, so look for the deeper
meaning.
- Seek to stand out.
Entrepreneurs embrace their uniqueness. As children, we tended to
want to blend in rather than be blatantly different. However, now I
suggest that you embrace what makes you unique. When you celebrate that
which makes you and your company distinct, you stand out from the crowd and differentiate from your competitors.
- Embrace life-long learning.
The quickest way to stagnation is to reject new modes of thinking.
Entrepreneurs are defined by their ability to embrace new technology,
new theories, and new practices. The entrepreneurial mindset is fed by
that unending appetite for new learning and it will help you expand your skills and grow your business.
- Pace yourself.
Yes, you have a lot you need to accomplish to reach the top of that
mountain, but patience and perseverance define successful entrepreneurs.
You need to pace yourself as you climb to financial and business
success. Pushing yourself is an admirable quality, but ultimately it is
unsustainable. It is healthy to prepare for those times when you’ll need
to work demanding hours, but don’t define yourself by your ability to
do that and only that, or you’ll soon burn out.
- Follow through.
If you’ve ever attended a networking event and met people who
promised to call you about a potential partnership, then never did, you
see the lost opportunity of not following through. Think of following
through as grabbing an opportunity. You never know which one of your
efforts will succeed, so following through is just another way of being
proactive. Take care of things as soon as possible — call people back,
say thank you, reach out to colleagues, send the letter, et cetera. as
soon as possible.
- Set appropriate goals.
Goal setting
is another way you can push yourself forward, but remember the quality
of your goals must be high. Do not settle for simply setting goals with
no follow through. If you want to, for example, set the goal of finding a
mentor, ask yourself: what does it take to accomplish that objective?
Break it down into tasks like “reach out to 2 potential mentors each
month” or “attend 3 networking events each month” so that you break down
that goal into manageable activities.
The most successful entrepreneurs spend time nurturing that mindset
to ensure that they’re best positioned for success, and so should you.
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