by Debbie Ruston, Featured Contributor
RECENTLY, I was making a new playlist on my Ipod, and I stopped and reflected on how something that seems so basic, is actually quite amazing. Think for a moment about who invented the technology to make a playlist, so you don’t need to load a song more than once in order to add to multiple playlists. We take for granted things like this every single day.
Think back to the day of the record player. We could only listen to one “album” at a time, we couldn’t rotate and listen to multiple bands and different types of music without constantly changing the record.
Today, we can have a theme party and actually make our own themed playlist to hear exactly the music we want to listen to. We can do this for weddings, pool parties, birthdays, Christmas parties, anything you can imagine.
All of this because someone saw a need, that perhaps hadn’t been identified yet, and decided to provide a solution. This is what creates success for an entrepreneur.
Take a moment and reflect on the things that make your life better because of an entrepreneur. The couch you sit on, the mattress you sleep on, the clothes you wear. What hand crafted items do you have in your home? Have you bought a revamped old piece from someone? Do you have your home cleaned by someone, or do you have maintenance around your home done by someone?
All of these things we take for granted, were provided by someone that decided to do something to fill a need. The list is endless.
Equally as exciting are all the possibilities there are going forward. It is never too late to take the step to become an entrepreneur. You don’t have to invent something miraculous to be an entrepreneur. It could be as simple as buying and selling things on online classified sites. For example, refinishing old furniture and reselling it. Or, making something you are interested in and setting up an Etsy account. Buying an existing business. Offering your services as a consultant. Affiliate programs. Starting a franchise. The list is endless. Today, with all the technology options there are, we have more opportunity than ever and are not restricted to our geographical areas. We are able to build global businesses from our own homes.
I talk to many people that say they have always “dreamed” of starting their own business. It is always surprising to me that someone can look back in their 50’s, 60’s and beyond and wish they had of followed their dream. Fear and limiting beliefs stop people from following their hearts. There are some key factors to make sure you are not one of these people:[message type=”custom” width=”100%” start_color=”#D8D8D8″ end_color=”#D8D8D8″ border=”#BBBBBB” color=”#333333″]
• Listen to your heart – this is our intuition speaking to us…learn to listen and don’t let your “head” get in the way
• Push through any fear and limitations you feel – understand you were not born with these fears or limitations, you learned to be fearful. You can also learn to push through fear and put it behind you
• Trust yourself – you are more capable than you realize
• Do not live a life of regrets – Learn from those that may be older….listen to their stories of success and their stories of regret…..choose to remove regrets
• Stop buying your own excuses – you are the only person that believes them. There are people just like you with the same excuses that have gone on to create the results they want.
• Let your desire be stronger than your fears, limiting beliefs, self talk, or excuses – When you have a burning desire – “a why” – more powerful than the excuses you are selling yourself, you will push through anything that has held you back. For instance, a mom that wants to be home with her kids…if the desire to be with her kids is stronger than the fear, she will push through the fear. As a mom, I experienced that after our first child was born. It was more important to me to be there to raise our family, than the fears, limiting beliefs, challenges, etc., that I had to push through. My family was the REASON I had the strength to push through.[/message]Everything is a choice….you can choose to live a life of regrets, living by someone else’s agenda, or, start making different/better choices to live the life of freedom you truly want to be living….
Exactly Jonathan! Powerful distinction….passion and mandatory stickability is absolutely a requirement.
Great post Debbie. Looking back… there are many things I would not do,
and yet others I would do differently.. but then I have become a bit
more savvy and perhaps wiser. The most important things about dreaming
to be or actually being an entrepreneur is an unfailing PASSION and the
mandatory STICKABILITY – but then I love being an entrepreneur.
“The best part of being an entrepreneur is that you can get out of it
exactly what you put in. The harder you work, the bigger the reward.” —
Elizabeth Henson