Get Your Entrepreneurial Mind in Order

Few people really understand the entrepreneurial mindset. While most people on the planet want to blame others and be victims of circumstance, professional entrepreneurs are all about taking full responsibility for their lives and making the right things happen for themselves.

If you plan to be a success, you’ll need to study the habits and thinking of people who are already living the life that you dream of. Read books, listen to audio programs, and sign up for a few newsletters created by successful online marketers.

This will give you better insight into how these people think, and how you need to start thinking. Creating a successful online venture isn’t a matter of closing your eyes, taking a swing, and hoping for the best.

It takes research, planning, testing, determination, and lots of hard work. Consider the fairly common fantasy of writing a book. Many people talk about “writing a book someday.”

In fact, you might know someone who says this on a regular basis (it could even be you). But how many of these people are willing to actually research the project, and then sit down to write it for a couple of hours every day until they’re done?

The overwhelming majority of book ideas never get written. In the same way, most people who say they want to be entrepreneurs, even those who go as far as starting their first business, don’t really have their heads in the game.

The problem is, if you move forward half-hearted, you’re totally going to waste your time. You have to be ready to put 100% of your awareness and energy into making your dream of a successful business into a concrete reality.

Here are a few of the qualities you should develop or improve:

Confidence

First of all, you have to believe in yourself. It’s a cliché to say so at this point, but it’s the truth. If you can’t honestly see yourself as a success, you need to spend some time developing a strong self-image before moving forward.

I sure didn’t believe in myself when I first got started. I had that awful six-year gap where I kept worrying about not being able to make it as a marketer and not wanting to leave my comfort zone as a ghostwriter.

Momentum

You have to get moving and stay in motion. This is the hardest part for many people.

Without a boss checking in on you every half hour, it’s up to you to get to your desk every day and stay focused until your task list is finished. You need the inner strength to make yourself meet deadlines and keep pushing to the next milestone.

I’ll admit there are days when I just have to take off. But I know I’ve put enough time into my business to be able to afford a lazy day if I want one. The key is to make sure all of your days aren’t lazy ones.

You also have to create your own sense of emotional momentum. Even when things seem slow on the outside, it’s crucial that you remain enthusiastic and always moving toward the big picture.

You will need to build a bridge to your own success – step by step. There won’t be three other people helping you along. You’ll be your team. You’ll be the one who has to rally the troop (you) and inspire yourself to pick up the pace and work toward your goal.

Sorry, you can’t clone yourself for productivity.

Motivation

Why have you chosen to leave a paying job and take matters into your own hands? If you don’t have a compelling list of reasons, you should make one right away.

When challenges arise and the road gets bumpy you’ll need a tangible sense of motivation. It’s important to remain mindful at all times of what drives you to succeed with your new home business.

What motivates me? Several things:

·         The fact that I abhor working for bosses who take my work and ideas and present them in meetings with other executives, taking credit for my work.

·         The fact that I wouldn’t trade anything to have a career where I get to be a fulltime mom and raise my own kids.

·         The fact that I’ll never have to suffer anxiety about asking for a raise from my boss again. I decide how much I’ll make this year.

·         The fact that I know if I want a day off to take my kids to the park or to go to the doctor, I don’t have to “use a vacation day” – it’s there for me whenever I say it is.

·         The fact that I get personal satisfaction every day I wake up to some wonderful email from someone telling me how I’ve impacted their life for the better. I got two of these emails today.

One person said I’d helped him launch his eBook. Another just praised me for what I taught him about Squidoo. I don’t have to wait for an end of year review from a boss to see how I’m doing – I get personal feedback from my customers on a regular basis!

I don’t know what will motivate you. It can be very personal to develop this list of reasons, but make sure you do it. You might need to rely on it if your confidence wavers or you start second-guessing yourself as an entrepreneur.

Ability to Visualize

Visualization is one of the most important skills you’ll ever learn. This is the ability to create a vivid picture in your mind of the way you want things to be. I only recently began doing this – before it was “how much hustling do I have to do to get the bills paid this month?”

You should be able to see your success in clear detail, right down to the emotions you’ll be feeling. Practice this daily to keep yourself moving in the right direction. You need to be able to visualize a plan.

Small action plans and major strategies need to be seen in the mind’s eye before they can be written out and executed.  Part of visualization is goal setting. You need clearly defined, written goals to succeed in business.

Failure to set goals will result in chaos and ultimate failure. Don’t try to go with the flow all the time - have the discipline to visualize your goals and then put them in writing. Visualization is a learned skill that you can acquire with practice. So, if it doesn’t come easy to you don’t worry - over time you’ll get better at it.

Diligence

Diligence can mean a lot of things, but in this case it’s a reference to your ability to complete your tasks from start to finish. One reason some entrepreneurs fail is the fact that they get half an idea and then rush into the production phase of their business.

Before you spend significant time and money on any venture, you need to make sure it’s a viable idea. Is there a market for your potential product? Are you a good fit for the third-party business opportunity? Do you have a sustainable interest in the niche?

Do your homework, ask questions, and be honest with yourself.

Putting adequate time into the research phase will save you a lot of frustration in the future. You might find out you were planning to spend good money on an idea that has no legs.

It’s not just the research phase, though. You’re going to have a task list a mile long, and you have to follow through on it. Keyword research, for instance, is something not many people enjoy.

But it’s necessary when you’re selling on the Internet. Of course, with some funding, you can always outsource tasks you despise – but don’t skip over anything pertinent just because you don’t feel like doing it.

Shortcuts can hurt your success!

Persistence

Sometimes, no matter what you do, things don’t go according to plan. These are the defining moments in an online entrepreneur’s career.

If you try something and fall flat on your face, will you be ready to throw in the towel and go back to your day job? The bizarre truth is that a lot of people are just waiting for that first failure so they’ll have an excuse to give up.

Failure is a part of life, and this is even truer in the business world. You should decide right now that you’re not going to let failure stop you.

If you believe you’ll be a success, you probably will. If you can get excited when visualizing money and new customers flowing to you day after day, these things are likely to manifest in your life.

But if you’re filled with self-doubt and plagued by fear, odds are you’ll struggle and sputter until you run back to your old job. If you don’t think you have what it takes to succeed, then you’re absolutely right!

Everyone dreams about working for themselves, but some people make the move – they ACT on those dreams and start living as if they’re already successful online marketers, and that’s what they become.