As we go through life, we are continuously forced to build ourselves more and more until we are the person we strive to be. While not all of us necessarily transcend or reach the dreams of our adolescence, we still inevitably experience a journey in which we are forced to push our limits, to expand our horizons, and to ultimately develop as a human being. Similarly, we find this trajectory with entrepreneurship.
We start with a dream and then go step-by-step, overcoming obstacle after obstacle until we reach where we want to be, and then we push some more (to maintain a competitive advantage) so that we don’t lose everything we’ve worked so hard to gain. It’s a magical feeling to look back at a successful business that you were responsible for creating, for running, and for sustaining. Yet, the mainstream media often portrays these capitalistic victories as something beyond the reach of so-called ‘normal’ individuals. Nonsense!!
It’s perceived as some divine miracle that just happened. Frankly, that’s ridiculous! Successful entrepreneurship is not the product of some 1/1,000,000 chance or some ingenious mind. It’s the result of hard work, resilience, and ambition! It’s hard, to say the least, but it’s feasible, and it’s possible not just for the Steve Jobs and Bill Gates of the world, but for the average man or woman willing to put in the time and effort.
In light of such, there are a few select habits anyone can do in order to attain and retain the motivation to succeed in today’s competitive marketplace. Listed below is some invaluable advice that may seem obvious until it’s put it into practice. Do yourself a favor and don’t dismiss it. Use it. Although simple, it makes a world of difference.
Write down your mission.
And I don’t mean your mission statement. I mean your honest-to-God mission in establishing your business. If you want to make money, write down how much. If you want to better the world, write down how. If you want to make money by doing good in the world (see my motto), write down how you’re going to fulfill that dream. Past studies have gone so far as to suggest that “more than 70% of the participants who sent weekly updates to a friend reported successful goal achievement.”
Writing down what you want and how you’re going to get what you want reminds us of our mission in the first place. It is a constant driving force informing us again and again what it is we want, why we want it, and how we’re going to get it. Be your own motivation, and let both your past and present passion drive you to succeed.
On a side note, writing down your mission doesn’t have to be some extraordinary public proclamation either. It can just be a note on your desk if you want. The point is that it’s there by you, for you. Enjoy your journey!
I touched on this earlier in regards to writing down your mission, but this concept actually applies to anything and everything you strive to do professionally (or personally, for that matter). When you write down what you want, set measurable goals in order to accomplish it. If your goal is to, say, run 365 miles in a year, don’t just state “I want to run 365 miles this year.” Make your goal “I will run one mile each day for the next year.”
This way, you will be unable to procrastinate. You will have a constant standard for comparison that objectifies the status of your goal achievement. If you’re falling behind, you’ll know. If you’re excelling, you’ll know. It’s of the utmost significance to understand how well you’re doing, and only by setting measurable goals will you be able to review your performance accurately.
Last but not least, trust yourself. There’s always going to be those who disagree with you, who tell you you’re incapable, who stand in the way. Ignore them. I know, I know. This is easier said than done, but in the end, you are the only one you should trust completely. You and no one else is responsible for making your dream come true, and your piece of paper explaining what you want and how you’re going to get it will serve as a source of perpetual comfort, motivation, and drive.
When you are the only one responsible for whether or not your company succeeds, why would you let someone else be responsible for whether or not it fails? Be true to yourself and to your vision, and make your dreams a reality. They are, after all, your dreams. I look forward to your success!