Starting a business is not easy. From ideas to implementation, there are struggles that cloud our minds day in and day out. You are taking a risk. A huge risk. You are laying everything on the line so you can get yourself and your family out of the rat race, once and for all.
Decisions must be made at a pace that makes light speed look slow. Calls need to be made and people need to adhere to a schedule you are proposing. Checking in with this person and that person. Making sure your outsourcers are completing tasks on time, every time. So many things to do, with so little time to accomplish everything you need in any given day.
So, it goes without saying that you need to be on point. You are the entrepreneur and there are challenges, from the outside, that present themselves daily. You are a rockstar, and you quietly slay the outside challenges, one by one.
Little do you know, as time goes on, you are unintentionally creating challenges that are on the inside. Inside of what, you say? Inside your mind. The mind is the battlefield where all entrepreneur wars take place. It is not in the boardroom or the high rise. No, it’s within your mind. That little space between your ears. The smallest piece of entrepreneurial real estate. Yet, by far, the most valuable.
These are 3 dangers that need to be exposed and defeated:
1. Indifference
Most who set out on the entrepreneurial path start something that they love to do. Love brings passion, and passion brings motivation. When these three ingredients are added together, a successful business can be created. However, if you get to the point that you feel as though you are just going through the motions, that’s when the opposite of love can set in. This opposite is indifference.
Having indifference means that nothing is concerning to you and you have lost interest or motivation. This is a dangerous spot to be in, because once you are there, it’s hard to get out. You will struggle to get up to see what the new day can bring for your business and it will be harder to maintain your fresh vision.
Continual love for what you do and being a student of your passion are the antidotes for this debilitating issue. Keep your love strong and keep learning, they both will take you a long way.
“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Oprah Winfrey
2. Procrastination
Procrastination is when you are purposely avoiding important procedures that you need to take care of so you can enjoy things that have no direct bearing on your business. Not confronting this danger can only cause it to lead to a habit.
This is why goal setting is so important. Short term goal setting can keep you aligned with the projected long term outcome for your entrepreneurial journey. Daily checklists allow you to navigate through your day, accomplishing what you deem most important. Just don’t get too scattered, you need to focus on one thing at a time. Where the focus goes, the power flows.
3. Complacency
Complacency can set in if you feel that you are above others and think that you have arrived. You will know its presence if you start to take things for granted, or if you start doing less of the things that made you successful in your past. The only good thing about complacency is that it usually comes after having some sort of success. Other than that, you need to package it up, put a bow on it, and ship it out… fast!
Defeating this mindset doesn’t have to be hard. Go back to the drawing board and write up your purpose. If your purpose is to be of help to more than just yourself, that’s a great purpose that can combat complacency. Your “why” is the penicillin to the complacency flu.
“I really try to put myself in uncomfortable situations. Complacency is my enemy.” – Trent Reznor
We all know that starting and building a business can have its challenges. The outside challenges, that we have no control over, are enough to bring on many sleepless nights and countless frustration. Isn’t it to our benefit not to add our own challenges? Ones that we can control? I’m confident that you know the answer.
Jake,
Nice post here!
I’ve learned #1 the hard way by starting businesses for the money, which isn’t the best way to go. You’re right that passion easily sparks motivation and helps you get whatever you really want most.
I think a good one to add to this would be understanding not to work yourself like crazy, because we really want our projects to work and push hard.
Keep it up!
– Evan