Have you ever thought about starting your own business? See if you possess these characteristics of an entrepreneur

It seems like everywhere you turn, someone is trying their hand at being an entrepreneur. It gives you a moment of pause to consider whether or not you have the successful characteristics needed to be an entrepreneur.

In fact, LendingTree ran a survey with Qualtrics of 1,067 Americans in 2018 and found roughly two-thirds thought about starting a business in the previous 12 months.

While most people in the survey claim a lack of start up capital for being the biggest reason for not taking that big leap, I have to question whether or not that’s true.

The Real Reasons People Don’t Become An Entrepreneur

In my more than forty years of experience in business, I have found that it’s not a lack of money that stops people from Characteristics of an Entrepreneur. Rather they lack certain characteristics required of an entrepreneur.

After all, if it were easy, everyone would do it.

I believe most people could be an entrepreneur, but won’t. Most people won’t put in the time, energy and commitment it takes to be a successful business owner.

And that’s OK. Not everyone needs to be a business owner. But if you’re wondering if you have what it takes to be successful at entrepreneurship, consider the following nine statements.

If you read these nine statements and don’t feel that they represent you, then maybe it's time to take the leap.

9 Characteristics of an Entrepreneur

1. You don’t have thick skin.

• Chances are you’ve been thinking about starting a business for awhile. You may have told a few close friends about your “crazy idea” but for the most part, you have chosen to keep this dream to yourself.
• Eventually, however, you will need to let the world know. And not everyone is going to share your enthusiasm.
• You might have family and friends who support you every day with personal problems that will suddenly show you a different part of their personality when you discuss starting a business: fear.
• Maybe they have tried to start a business and failed. Or possibly they live under the false sense of security a job provides and think climbing the corporate ladder is a guaranteed path to safety.
• Either way, you will face criticism faster—and harsher—than you expect. How you handle it will make all the difference.

2. You don’t like being “connected.”

• If you think living the life of an introvert will allow you to become a successful entrepreneur, you may want to think again.

• You’ll be living and breathing your new company every moment of the day while you try to educate everyone you come in contact with about your business.
• 24/7 takes on a whole new meaning when you open your doors. No longer are quick 5-minute breaks spent scrolling your Facebook or Instagram feeds looking at updates from your family. Now, the time spent on the very same social networks will be spent answering customer service complaints and trolling your competition looking for ways to improve your business.
• Though you won’t need to be the life of the party, you will definitely need to get more comfortable in your own skin.

3. You need praise.

• There has been a disturbing trend in youth activities the last few years where all participants receive trophies. These awards are given to anyone who participates in the given activity like little league baseball or pee-wee football.
• As adults, we know that’s not how life works. There are winners, and then there are losers.
• Think about your average day at work. How many times a day do you hear, “That’s awesome!” or “Great job,” or “That’s soooo good?”
• It seems everyone has been trained to give positive feedback almost as if on autopilot.
• Unfortunately, you won’t receive this type of praise as an entrepreneur.
• Similar to statement number 1 above, you need to keep all criticism in context. Some people will love your product, others won’t.
• Regardless, if you have done your research and have built a business around solving a legitimate problem, eventually you’ll receive your just rewards.

4. You need external motivation.

• Another characteristic of an entrepreneur is the ability to set your own tasks and accomplish them.
• You won’t arrive at work with a set list of expectations you’re to accomplish by days end.
• Whatever gets done (or doesn’t) is entirely up to you.
• When I was in boot camp preparing for my brief career in the military, I received all the external motivation I could handle. From fellow recruits taking turns leading our troup through our daily training regime to the ever present drill sergeant, there was no shortage of people making sure I was doing what I should be doing, how I should be doing it and where I should be doing it.
• You are your own drill sergeant when you become a business owner.

• Do you have what it takes to give the orders and follow them?

5. You like to stay in your comfort zone.

• One characteristic of an entrepreneur that is often overlooked is the ability to wear multiple hats.
• Most people who dream about being an entrepreneur focus on the technical mastery they’re providing. They feel that a decade of writing or baking or carpentry experience is the proof they have what it takes to run a successful business.
• That’s never the case. A successful entrepreneur needs to understand accounting, sales, legal protection, taxes, customer service, and a slew of other things to turn their technical mastery into business success.

6. You need to be right.

• We were taught in school that there is only one right answer. There is one side to history, one way to solve a math problem and one way to be successful in life. And when it is time to test your knowledge you either know the answers on the exam or you don’t. If you try to look elsewhere for the answer it's considered cheating.
• But real life doesn’t work like that. In real life, “cheating” is called teamwork. If you don’t like to work as a team, you are often considered a “know-it-all” and no one wants to work with you.
• To better explain this, I want to use a diagram my rich dad taught me called the CASHFLOW® Quadrant.

• The CASHFLOW Quadrant shows how the four types of people and the different ways they make money.

• On the left side are the Es (employee) and Ss (small business owner). They value security above all else. There are similar characteristics between Es and Ss, namely they both get paid for their time.
• On the right side of the diagram are the Bs (big business owner) and Is (investor). Unlike Es and Ss who make money in exchange for their time, people on this side of the quadrant make money through other people’s time and money. They create assets that generate passive income.
• What does this have to do with being right?
• Similar to the previous point about staying in your comfort zone, highly-paid Es and successful Ss always have to be right. They were probably the first person in school to raise their hand with the right answer, graduated with honors and sacrificed for the big promotion at work.
• There’s nothing wrong with putting in the time to get things right, unless you’re an entrepreneur.
• Entrepreneur’s don’t have the luxury of time. After all, time is money. If you’re spending time behind closed doors trying to get everything perfect before you launch tomorrow, you’re missing money making opportunities today.

7. You are looking for overnight success.

• Many people think I became a success overnight. One day I was a complete unknown and the next I’m on Oprah with a New York Times bestseller.
• The truth is, it took almost a decade for me to reach that level of success.
• First, there was my failed nylon and Velcro wallet business. After my rich dad showed my how my partners were robbing me, I had to close the business. This left me over $800,000 in debt.
• It was for that reason that I knew the only way I was going to get out of such a financial hole was through entrepreneurship.
• There was no way to pay back such a monumental amount of debt with a day job.
• low and steady wins the race. There are no shortcuts.

8. You are a procrastinator.

• With almost $800,000 of debt, Kim and I knew we weren’t going to break free from our financial situation any time soon. So, we developed a plan. It required tremendous sacrifice but we knew we would eventually get there.
• It all started with a dedication to increasing our financial education. First we worked to learn, then to earn.

• We studied real estate investing and created our own businesses. No matter how bad things got and how much we wanted to quit, we didn’t.
• We kept our eye on the prize and looked for any opportunity to learn a new skill that was going to help us become successful business owners.
• The ability to take action is a vital characteristic of an entrepreneur.

9. You don’t like to sell.

• My rich dad would often tell me that learning how to sell is the most important characteristic of an entrepreneur.
• After being an entrepreneur in multiple industries over the past three decades I have to agree.
• If you can’t sell, you can’t be an entrepreneur.
• After I returned from Vietnam, I had a choice to make. I could get a job in the shipping industry making very good money or take an entry-level sales job at Xerox.
• My rich dad recommended that I take the job at Xerox. I took it and it didn’t take long for me to realize that I was not a natural born salesman. I spoke with my rich dad about my struggles and he suggested fail faster.
• Rather than find another sales job at night, I remembered some other advice from my rich dad, namely that it’s easier to find work if you are willing to do it for free.
• I found a charity that needed people to dial for dollars at night. So, I would leave my job at Xerox and put in a few hours cold calling people for donations. I was able to increase my failure rate from three to seven calls a day at Xerox to over 20 calls in a few hours at night.
• Though my failure rate increased, ironically so did my success rate. The more calls I made, the better I became at handling objections. I had no choice but to adapt, and so will you.

Summary of What Characteristics Are Needed to be An Entrepreneur

If you feel those statements do not accurately portrait you, then you might have a chance of being a successful business owner someday.

If you found that many of those statements do apply to you, don’t give up on your dream to become an entrepreneur quite yet.

Perhaps you easily get your feelings hurt with criticism or feel like you are in need of constant praise or find you lack confidence in all areas of your life, begin to address those issues. I have found that if I’m weak in one area of my life it is often negatively affecting other areas as well.

If you have tremendous odds stacked against you, and you don’t have any other choice but to take matters into your own hands, you might be surprised to discover just how many characteristics of an entrepreneur you possess.

Reference: https://www.richdad.com/characteristics-of-an-entrepreneur

Conformity

“The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice … it is conformity.” And there you have the reason for so many failures. Conformity — people acting like everyone else, without knowing why or where they are going.

 - Rollo May, "Man’s Search for Himself"

What do you think guys?

The value of the Mind

The problem is that our mind comes as standard equipment at birth. It’s free. And things that are given to us for nothing, we place little value on. Things that we pay money for, we value.

The paradox is that exactly the reverse is true. Everything that’s really worthwhile in life came to us free — our minds, our souls, our bodies, our hopes, our dreams, our ambitions, our intelligence, our love of family and children and friends and country.

All these priceless possessions are free.

The road to success is a straight and narrow path

The road to success is a straight and narrow path; it is a road of loving absorption, of undivided attention.

You attract the things you give a great deal of thought to. So if you give a great deal of thought to lack, you attract lack, if you give a great deal of thought to injustice, you attract more injustice.

What are your opinions guys?

Integrity - The Carpenter's House

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family.

He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.  The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.




Reference: http://www.consciouslivingfoundation.org/InspireStory.htm

 

How To Use Your Enemies To Fuel Your Success

Have you heard of the phrase “at the end of the day it’s all love”? Have you watched the movie Love Is All You Need? Have you listened to the classic song Love Is All You Need from the Beatles?

While love is arguably one of the fundamental reasons why we do what we do, most of us ignored the other side of the coin. In other words, hatred is underrated.  

I am not sure about you, but I’ve definitely felt annoyed whenever I walked into an environment that’s filled with negativity, gossips, uninspiring conversations, fear-driven news updates etc. It feels like such environment is poisoning our mindset, corrupting our creative potential and sapping our energy level.

Love those people anyway, be compassionate but you should stay away from these inspiration vampires as much as possible. To uplift the world, you have to be extraordinary. You have to be more than normal. You have to be more than average.

“Love is when the other person’s happiness is more important than your own.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

That means your standards, mindsets, emotional intelligence, productivity, work ethic, people you spend most time with, influence and impact have to be top-notched in order to create the maximum change you want. And one of the most undervalued ways to fuel your motivation and drive is to find an enemy.

Every legendary achiever in history needs an enemy to compete with.

Luke Skywalker could not have become one of the greatest Jedi in the galaxy had Darth Vader not become the evil Sith Lord. Apple could not have become such an unstoppable success had Steve Jobs not competed with Bill Gates and distinguished themselves as the pioneer fashion of arts and technology. Michael Phelps could not have acquired a record-breaking 28 medals had Ryan Lochte, Chad le Clos, Lazslo Cseh and Kosuke Hagino given him pressure of losing the lead.

Heck, even aliens have predators, Autobots have Decepticons and Frodo has Suron to compete with. Every great story, great movie, great biography will tell you that heroes always need an enemy to fight against with.

The point is that when you don’t have an enemy, you don’t stand for anything.

An enemy you hate gives you unlimited reasons, motivations and energy to fight back. An enemy gives you an opportunity to break through your limits, challenges and edges to become better. An enemy compels you to maximize your skills, character, hidden power and potential to conquer the world.

Your hatred is your friend. Your emotional agitation is your friend. Your enemy is your friend. They are there for a reason to make you thrive. It’s not hard to find your enemy and pick a meaningful fight.

“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” – Winston Churchill

For example, to me and my team, our enemies are mediocrity, scarcity mindset, sensational news, the mind-controlling media, the Wall Street that’s exploiting your hard-earned money, the status quo that you must follow a certain route to succeed.

We believe it’s misleading because with today’s level of innovative technology, we can actually design a life that give us both outer achievements and inner fulfillment.

So who’s your enemy? What are the things you hate? What heartbreaking phenomenon are you witnessing in the world that you want to change? What injustice, unfairness and wrongness do you want to stop?

Let your enemies motivate you. Let them stir your blood. Let your anger be transformed into massive positive actions. With such deep emotional drive, you’ll become a relentless fighter who beats every life challenge presented to you along the way.

Have you got any faces popped up in your mind? How are you going to utilize your enemy to motivate you? Leave your thoughts below!

Reference: keye Wu:  http://addicted2success.com/author/keyewu/

Emotional Intelligence: Should Someone Always Listen To Their Heart?

While there are some people who generally listen to their head, there are others who are more likely to go with their heart. And so regardless of what outlook one has, they can believe that it is the right way to be.

Clarity

When one has the tendency to use the former, they can say that this gives them ability to think clearly. Based on this, it is going to be a lot easier for them to make the right decisions in life.

If they were to think about when this hasn't taken place, they could say that it would happen more often if they relied on their heart. There is then going to be no reason for them to change their approach.

It's Better

Yet, if one has the inclination to rely on the latter, they could talk about how this enables them to listen to a part of them that knows more than their head. Therefore, to ignore this part of them would be something that would have a negative effect on their life.

One could think about when this has taken place and it could fill them with a sense of regret. Through being this way, it is going to be seen as what allows them to make the right decisions.

A Time and A Place

At the same time, there are going to be plenty of people who believe that it is not this black and white, and that they both have a purpose. As to when one is more important than the other, it will all depend on what is taking place.

In addition to this, one could have moments when they listen to their heart and their head; with this allowing them to come to a balanced conclusion. This will show that they are working with themselves, as opposed to alienating one part and embracing another.

A Purpose

It could be said that one has these two areas of intelligence for a reason, and so it is going to be in their best interest to pay attention to them. If this didn't take place, it would be the same as having two different types of shoes and only using one pair.

One could wear the same ones all the time, but this is simply going to create a lot of unnecessary discomfort. Through putting their feet in the right pair of shoes, it can allow them to function at their best.

The Decision Maker

When one listens to what their head and their heart has to say, it will show that they are able to detach from what is taking place within them. One is then not just going to be consumed by one part of themselves.

It can then be seen as similar to what would take place if one had two friends in front of them who were giving them advice. Out of their respect and appreciation for these two people, they will take the time to listen to what they have to say.

Reflection

This could then mean that one will listen to each part of themselves and then make a decision. One could then find that they typically make good decisions and they are not going to be over reliant on one part of themselves.

Still, this is not to say that they won't be able to go with their heart and to put their ability to think to one side. As this could be something that has occurred on a number of occasions; with this being something that allowed them to respond quickly.

Instant

What this emphasises is that it can take a while for the head to make a decision, but the same can't be said about the heart. This is something that can take place without too much time passing.

And as it will already have an answer, there is going to be no need for one to use as much energy when it comes to the heart. It would then natural for one to see their heart as being superior.

Two Sides

Also, when one leads with their heart, they can be seen as being warm; whereas if they lead with their head, they can be seen as being cold. One way of looking at this would be to say that the heart brings everything together, but the head pulls things apart.

The heart is full of acceptance and love and is only too happy to give; there are no limits as far as it is concerned. On the other hand, the head is far more cautious and sees that there are limits in life.

One Outlook

If one uses their head, their outlook can be realistic, and if they use their heart, their outlook can be idealistic. Clearly, both of these ways of seeing life have a time and a place, but when the wrong outlook is utilized, it can lead to problems.

For example, the heart can be naive and see the best in everyone, and this can set one to be taken advantage of. If they have this outlook and they hold a position of power, it could cause them to inflict a lot of damage on their fellow human beings.

Blind Compassion

The heart's desire to help anyone and everyone can also lead to all kinds of different problems, and this is why it needs to be monitored. Without the heads guidance, one can end up doing more harm than good.

As while one can follow their heart and believe that being altruistic is the way to change the world; it can result in more problems. When this happens, one can end up enabling other people's behaviour, or the people they are trying to help can end up harming them as time goes by.

No Sense of Time

The heart is also focused on the here and now, and this is why one can make a decision without thinking about what consequences may arise when they ignore their head. Yet, the head has a sense of time, and this can give one the ability to step back and to think about whether they should do something or not.

Conclusion

Ultimately, one has a head and a heart for a reason, and if they don't have the ability to use both, they are going to be out of balance. Not only will this increase their chances of making poor decisions; there will also be the consequences of the decisions they make.

Reference:: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Oliver_JR_Cooper/818466