Adnan Rafique M.D.
Walt Disney once said, “All dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them"
I was also guilty of lacking courage and self-belief. I have always thought that I know myself well and I don’t have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Just recently, I came to realize that if I don’t write my own story, I have no right to complain when others write it for me.
What is Entrepreneurship?
My definition is: entrepreneurship is a mindset. People with a positive mindset, who have a desire, aspirations, and ideas through their massive action, create a business and take it to the level where they enjoy massive profit. They not only improve the life of themselves and their family but also create job opportunities for others.
Entrepreneurship is not for those who have a negative mindset, who always look at the glass half empty, who always complaining and trying hard to find all the excuses not to take action which can change their life. Entrepreneurship has been around for centuries, people who have this incredible gift of finding solutions to problems through their massive actions have transformed the life of everyone living on this planet. Now, with this incredible advancement in technology, becoming an entrepreneur has never been easier. All you need is a computer and wifi. No matter where in the world you are located, most places offer you internet and mobile devices. There has been a surge in entrepreneurship in the last decade but this pandemic has made the biggest impact. It has acted as a catalyst in the lives of so many people who have lost their jobs during this pandemic. These people have decided to take action by starting online businesses or side hustle as a freelancer and offering their services online. Still, there are millions of people around the world NOT taking any action to change their life just because of lack of courage and self-belief. In this digital age, it doesn’t matter how old or young you are. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or live in the developing countries. Anyone with an idea, courage, and desire can become an entrepreneur. Currently, there are almost 600 million entrepreneurs in the world and never before in the history of mankind, starting a business was so easy either as a side hustle, side gig or even as your main business. All due to the internet and e-commerce.
“Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt
It is with a positive mindset that an entrepreneur sees opportunities and solutions out of any difficulties or problems while a person with a negative mindset only sees annoyance and problems.
How do you Change the mindset?
People need to learn the power of positive mindset. When you see a problem, rather than complaining, find the solution. But the biggest challenge is how to change the mindset. I’ll tell you my experience, what has worked for me and how long it took me to finally take a massive action.
“There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge. Both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought” ― Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich
1- Change your company: If you are surrounded by people with negative mindset, people who have no ambitions or desire to change or people who tell you not to pursue your dreams because of high risk or they don’t want you to succeed. STAY AWAY FROM THEM. Or, if they are your immediate family, just respectfully refuse to act on their advice or don’t spend too much time listening to them. Sometimes our parents try to protect us from failure and out of love they tell you not to pursue your worthwhile dreams.
“You are the average of 5 people you spend most of your time with”- Jim Rohn
2- Read books: I was never a reader. I never thought these motivational books have the power to change our economic life. Let me tell you the fact, I was so wrong! The most commonly shared characteristic of highly successful people in the world is that they all are avid readers. There are some powerful books that have changed the lives of so many people for the past 100 years.
My favorite 5 books are:
1- "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.
2- "Magic of Thinking Big" by David Schwartz
3- "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Keyosaki
4- "Psycho Cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz
5- "Compound Effect" by Darren Hardy
3- Find a mentor: There are some people who you look up to. People who are very successful and full of positive energy. Look around, find those people and spend some time with them. If you don’t have access to those people, there are so many influencers on social media like Youtube and on podcasts. I listen to podcasts and youtube lectures from those positive figures.
4- Respect time: In this busy world, people usually find no time for anything not in their routine. Everyone has 24 hours in a day, whether you are Elon Musk, James Lebron, Warren Buffet or yourself, high achievers can find time by cutting back useless routines like watching toxic news, talk shows, social media posts, watching movies, etc. Average person watches 12-16 hours of TV per week and spends 20-30 hours per week on social media. How can you say you don’t have time?
Why become an Entrepreneur?
Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs - Farrah Gray
Yes, entrepreneurship is not for everyone. If you don’t have a “why” factor, you will not have motivation to change the course of your life. So what are some reasons people take massive actions for?
1- High ambitions: They have a desire to change the world. We all know the big names like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Jack Ma, Bill Gates, and so many other famous billionaires who started from scratch and achieved everything this world has to offer. Most people believe that these big entrepreneurs do it for money. Yes, money is a huge motivation but the biggest reason they do it is for their fulfillment, but they also feel good contributing and changing the lives of so many people.
2- Freedom: This is the most common reason people start their own business is that they don’t want others to dictate them what to do. They want to be their own boss. They want to be the author of their own story. Many people enjoy the freedom of hours they chose to work, they enjoy making their own schedule.
3- They can’t find a job: Some people do it after having rejections from so many companies. They either don’t fit the corporate lifestyle or don’t have the personality to work for someone.
4- Curiosity: Some people do it just to see how far they can go. They have this intense desire or belief that they have one chance to live a good life and they would do anything to push themselves as far as they can to make their dream come true.
Bottomline:
All success stories we hear every day. All of the big entrepreneurs we know share common characteristics. We must study these people and learn from their journey. All of these incredibly successful people leave footsteps that can lead everyone to the top of the mountain. Obviously entrepreneurship is not for those who don’t allow themselves to fail, who don’t have the courage and strength to rise again and again and march towards their destination.
Whether you are an employee or an entrepreneur, everyone wants happiness and fulfillment. We know so many billionaires and celebrities who seem successful but their life is full of sadness and emptiness. Most of these people have one purpose or goal, they want more and more wealth, fame and material possessions. When your goal is so superficial and materialistic, then you often resort to a chemical whether its alcohol or sleeping pills to even get a good night sleep.
Whatever you do in life, there has to be a deeper and bigger purpose than serving your own worldly desires. So what really makes you a successful entrepreneur? Once you are at the top, pull others to the top, show others the way to success. That makes you a successful entrepreneur.
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