There are certain attributes many successful entrepreneurs share, exude, and use to drive their ambition. By maintaining composure in the face of uncertainty, they are able to rationally analyze the situation before them, consider their options, and act appropriately. Yet, what are these attributes that cultivate their motivation, that allow them to remain calm on the precipice of the fiscal unknown?
Turn Failure into Optimism
Every failure should be considered an experiment, a mere step on the way to success. Famously, Thomas Edison’s critics once criticized his first 10,000 light filament failures. In response to this opposition, Edison claimed, “I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” He then went onto harness electricity in the form of the modern day lightbulb and changed the course of history.
Cultivate Relationships.
There are bound to be bumps in the road to success. Adversity will strike and obstacles will seem insurmountable. Yet, if, as entrepreneurs, we are able to reach out to friends for help, and networking connections for advice, we can overcome what was once perceived as an overwhelming problem.
Make Friends with Smarter People
Although so many entrepreneurs are very control-oriented, the fact is we must often relinquish authority to those around us in order to properly advance the business. We cannot be involved in every decision or we will become bogged down with cumbersome and less significant issues. That is why we must expand our professional network to include people we trust, people who we actually believe to be smarter than us, so that we feel more comfortable when we inevitably become less involved in the day-to-day agenda.
Accept Adversity as a Normal Expectation
Rather than become upset or annoyed with adversity in our business, we should seek to embrace it as part of the everyday norm. By changing our perception of adversity from something that halts progress to something we should be dealing with regularly, we place adversity in a category of lesser significance. In this light, adversity merely becomes something we have to check off the checklist rather than something that rears its ugly head and threatens the business we have worked so hard to build.
While, of course, these perceptions and beliefs are by no means exhaustive or even exclusive to entrepreneurs, they can ease the stress of entrepreneurial life. As a famous man once said, “To change the world, change your mind.” The power of perception can make even the worst possible situations seem manageable.