Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. When you signed up to be an entrepreneur, you gave up your right to be comfortable. You traded stability for uncertainty, one title for many and set hours for “however long it takes.” It takes grit and grind to make something out of nothing and wonder from day to day if all your hard work will eventually pay off. But, in entrepreneurship, uncertainty is the name of the game.

Success is planned, it doesn’t happen by osmosis or by wishing it into existence. Social media has glamorized entrepreneurship and made it look easy. The only vantage point given regularly includes the highlight reel of entrepreneurship and not the backstage chaos. There are daily actions you must take and mindset shifts you must experience to muster up the courage to be an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is messy and more often than not, it’s downright scary. Yet, hope abides!

If you are considering entering the world of the unknown, aka entrepreneurship, here are three ways you can tell if you will be successful or not:

1. You know the risks

Entrepreneurship is full of risks. Sometimes all of you have to work with is an idea and a hunch. You have no solid ground to stand on in knowing if what you want to put out into the world will be well-received. And while it’s nearly impossible to know each and every possible scenario and outcome for your situation, when you have an idea of what could happen, you’ll have an advantage.

“Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.” – Jimmy Carter

2. You feel the fear

Most approach the idea of entrepreneurship with excitement because all they consider are the positives. Being enamored about being your own boss, setting your own work hours, having the freedom to be location independent, and not having a cap on your earning potential can lure even the highest paid professional into entrepreneurship.

On the flip side, those same ideas can cause anxiety and fear when one realizes the magnitude of the weight that being an entrepreneur puts on oneself. You realize your success falls back on you and your action. Entrepreneurship and mixed feelings go hand in hand. It’s okay to be excited and to be scared. You are not alone.

3. You take the leap anyways

When you accept the risk of the unknown, allow yourself to feel every single emotion in the book, and you still make the choice to plunge into entrepreneurship, you know that success is on your side.

The truth is that many never take the leap because they allow the possibilities of what could go wrong to paralyze them into doing nothing. If you push past your apprehension and make moves towards your future, you have no choice but to experience success. The good news is that your success will be on your own terms.

“You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky

Taking risks, being fearful and taking action are the keys to your success. It’s one thing to allow your fear to keep you stagnate, it’s another thing to allow that same fear to push you to do and to be better. Before you venture out into uncharted territories, assess where you are and plan for where you desire to be. You may discover that you are closer to your next win than you are to your last loss. Whatever you do, do it well.

How do you assure yourself you’re doing the right thing when you take a big risk? Share your thoughts below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com