What is the mindset of an entrepreneur? Over the last few articles I have discussed my top 10 methods for making money online, 10 ways to increase traffic to your website and the fastest way to grow your online business. In the last article I even touched on your ‘vision’ and how that affects the results of your business. In this article I want to discus something which is vital to your success – the mindset of an entrepreneur.
Why mindset is so important
All other things being equal, mindset is what sets apart the successful from the unsuccessful in all walks of life. Those who go the extra mile and stubbornly refuse to give up, against all odds, are the ones who eventually make it. They ‘make it’ because they know where they want to be and they have spent some time there, if only in their minds! Successful people don’t just ‘arrive’ at their success overnight or by chance. The plan their journey according to what they want and they doggedly stick to their mission, regardless of what it takes or how long.
In contrast, those who don’t do this will often get sidetracked by old habits, addictions and alternative agendas. They ‘wander’ and have no definite purpose. To achieve anything worthwhile takes hard work, sacrifice and determination. But you also need a direction and something to aim for.
Henry Ford, who developed and manufactured the first affordable production car, against huge odds, once said “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right”. Henry Ford also had a global vision and rolled out production lines across America.
Goals
Having direction and something to aim for is a fundamental given, in order to achieve anything meaningful and worthwhile. Entrepreneurs set goals. A goal should be SMART. S – Specific, M – Measurable, A- Achievable, R – realistic, T – Time bound. An example of a SMART goal is ” By 20th December 2015 I will have 500 subscribers on my subscribers list”.
An example of a bad goal is ” Soon I will have more money in my account”. This is a bad goal because it can’t be measured, it isn’t time bound, ‘soon’ isn’t specific enough. ‘More money’ is vague and you won’t know when you achieve it. Goals should be achievable but also you should be motivated to attain them. If you set a goal which is too easy, you are not going to be very motivated towards it. Likewise, a very difficult goal might have you doubting whether you can attain it, which may subdue your focused attention to it.
Focused attention
Entrepreneurs have a ‘focused attention’ on the bigger picture. They have ‘vision’. Without a large vision it is difficult to know where you are heading. Your vision should be larger than something temporary. Fleeting goals often are about achieving a certain thing, such as a car or a certain amount of money. However, having a larger goal and vision of creating something which is larger than just money, or material objects, is a greater motivator than things or money alone.
Knowing where you are going
Not knowing what you want is the biggest barrier to getting there! Â Having something in mind which is important to you which you want to achieve is vital in order to start your journey towards it!
Ignoring the naysayers
Whenever you achieve something of merit, there will always be those who subtly or otherwise try and pull you down. Arnold Schwarzenegger was told “You’re nothing but a giant muscle, you can’t act, you’ve no future and you accent is laughable”. Successful people don’t spend time with the naysayers but surround themselves with people who share their mission, goals and ideas. Surround yourself with people on the same mission as you and your job will be far easier.
Visualizing your goals
Successful people spend time using visualization to create a picture of what it is they want to have. By spending time creating in your minds eye, the ideal life you want to achieve, you are programming your subconscious mind to focus on creating it.
Old Stuff coming up
If you mind is ‘stuck’ on old emotions, ideas, regrets and negative feelings, it can be all the more difficult to focus on what you wish to create. Jack Canfield is a successful author, success coach and appears on the film ‘The Secret’. Here he talks about ‘letting go’ of old energy in order to receive the new. Holding onto past traumas and difficulties can literally keep you ‘stuck’ in a negative cycle of difficulties. By letting go of these ‘blockages’ we can focus more fully on our goals and outcomes which we wish to bring into our lives.
Self image holding you where you are
When I began my training with the SFM, there was something Jay Kubassek mentioned which struck a chord with me and it was about self image. “You can’t grow beyond your self image”. When you are attempting to attain something which you previously thought was impossible, you can hit a metaphysical ‘brick wall’. Your self image won’t allow you to earn more, be more and do more. This is because of your idea of who you are. Your self image is wrapped up with other things which define you like how much you earn, where you live, and what people think of you, as well as what you think of yourself, fundamentally. Your friends and relatives will also have an idea of who you are and keep reminding you! If you want to change, this can all be very limiting.
How to change your self imageÂ
(See Why you must change your self image to change your life)
Becoming aware of your speech is a first step in improving your self image. The way we talk about ourselves to others is often a key to how we, deep down, feel about ourselves. Our own ‘self talk’ is another strong factor and influences our lives on a daily basis. By first noticing our self talk and speech we can begin to see how we feel about ourselves on a daily basis, according to who we are with and what we do. You might notice you are quite hard on yourself, for example, constantly criticizing yourself with negative self-talk. This can have a huge limiting factor on your goals and ideas for the future – particularly if you have a negative self image. Once you have noticed how you speak to yourself you can choose better things to say, in order to boost your self esteem, morale and motivation. This can take a long time as the feelings and thoughts of your lifetime are often ingrained into your psyche.
You can also change your self image by thinking about who you want to become. If you are ‘stuck’ in a poverty consciousness and would like to increase your wealth, start by dressing how you would if you were that new person. How would you talk, walk and think if you were the person you truly want to be? Begin by taking on those traits and ‘acting’ like the wealthy person you want to be.
Aligning your sub-conscious and conscious minds
One of the best books I have read on this topic and on goal setting is by Stuart Lichtman in his book “How to get lots of money for anything fast” Stuart is an MIT professor and his book covers what he calls the “Cybernetic transposition technique”. This is a technique which deals with your conflicting agendas in order to achieve a goal which is in line with all of your critical thinking factors. Often when setting a goal, you also have a subconscious conflicting agenda. Your integral parts don’t all line up. You may have a strong intention to avoid some part of what is involved in attaining a specific goal. By lining up your sub-conscious mind and your conscious mind you are working with the integrity of your deeper unconscious parts. What this means for goal setting is that, you will be setting goals which are in line with your integrity and which are right for you. Attempting a goal which doesn’t fit with your inner conflicts is fraught with difficulties. You may try for years and always self sabotage, before you attain your goal. Get Stuarts book here.
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