The average person is told as a child to be quiet, stay out of trouble, and don’t make waves. If they go to college, they are told to set realistic goals and expectations for their lives. The worldview they adopt is that life is dangerous and scary. It is best to play it safe and avoid risks. These views limit them to careers where risk is minimal and long-term employment is a priority.
Entrepreneurs receive the same advice but have discovered that adopting the opposite viewpoint is their ticket out of the rat race. Entrepreneurs learn to be bold, aggressive, and fearless. Entrepreneurs make more mistakes in a single year than the average person makes in a lifetime. They lose money, make bad decisions, and struggle to pay their bills while their conservative counterparts are getting ahead, playing it safe, and adding to their 401k’s.
Many entrepreneurs watch as their friends buy nice homes, new cars, and settle into a comfortable life. Meanwhile, the entrepreneur may max out their credit cards, not knowing how in the world they will be able to pay it back. Their families think they are crazy and often beg them to get a real job. All the while, the entrepreneur is learning and growing until they reach a breakthrough. Entrepreneurs don’t allow themselves to settle for mediocrity when the world is overflowing with abundance and they will settle for nothing less than their share.
The story is predictable in that the entrepreneur struggles and fights against the odds, often with nothing to show for it, until one day their efforts begin to pay off, a little at first and then POW! They are rewarded with business success. Often the entrepreneur is as surprised as anyone. Suddenly, the bold, crazy dreamer is rewarded with a successful and profitable business. The masses see it as just one day the entrepreneur’s dream became a reality, but in fact, it took years of struggle and bucking the tide to make it happen.
Do you color inside the lines and avoid risk or are you bold, aggressive, and fearless?
