It take a lot of courage to become an entrepreneur
so if you are one, you are probably already a relatively courageous
person. Starting your own business
involves a lot of risk but staying in business involves courage, that you are
willing to continue to face that risk.
It’s not unusual to continue to face fear when growing your business and
once you’ve achieved a certain degree of success, it’s tempting to maintain the
status quo – to no longer have the courage to take risks and grow your
business; to settle for the business you already have. So how to stay courageous in business?
Gather your allies.
It’s undoubtedly true that every courageous person in history had at
least one person behind them that believed in them and stood by them, whether
it was a mentor a partner or a friend – basically standing in the wings
cheering them on and giving them encouragement.
It’s important to surround yourself with people in your life who believe
in you if you want to maintain courage.
“They don’t even need to truly understand your goals, although it
helps.” The reason they’re there is to
help you when you fall and give you the support to keep going even when you
want to give up. Often the difference
between success and failure is whether or not you have a support system in
place – even just one person who can give you the strength to move forward when
you want to quit. Remember, you’re not
looking for approval; you’re looking for support.
Start small.
“Finding your own courage doesn’t have to be about a grand gesture at
first.” If you haven’t stood up for
yourself before, start there. Start
standing your ground and asserting yourself.
If you want to start your own venture but are scared to quit your job,
work on it part time on the side. It’s
the starting point that’s important. As
you start to stand up for yourself, your confidence and courage will grow. Eventually, you’ll be able to take on greater
risk and be courageous enough to face any battle that comes your way.
Be prepared to fail.
“Courage is going from failure to failure without losing
enthusiasm.” In business no doubt, you
will fail at times. The trick is to get
up after you fail and take another shot at success. Each failure brings you one step closer to
the ultimate success. Learn from failure;
use it as an experience to grow and gain courage along the way. Find the lesson in your failure, think about
it, regroup and try a different way.
Failure isn’t the end – it’s merely a stepping stone in the process to
success.
Ignore negativity.
There are always going to be negative people around you whispering in
your ear or behind your back that you can’t do what you’re setting out to
do. Don’t listen to those people and be
discouraged. “You are the architect of
your own destiny and if you allow others to influence you, you will never find
out what you really could have achieved.”
It takes courage to ignore the naysayers.
Have self-belief.
To find true courage, you have to be committed to finding it. If you don’t believe one hundred percent in what
you’re saying, doing or dreaming, you will never find the courage to persevere
not just in business but in life. Fight
the battles that are worth fighting.
Fake it until you make it. You don’t have to be courageous at the core
to exude courage. You do need to act
rather than think or speak or dream courage.
Don’t let them see you sweat. The
way you carry yourself in business is key.
Act courageous and others will see you that way.
Embrace the unknown.
“When you think about why we fear the dark, the answer is simple:
Darkness removes sight leaving everything that lies within it unknown.” If you can learn to embrace the unknown,
courage will follow. Many people tend to
stay in jobs they hate rather than taking on the challenge of going out on their
own because they fear the unknown. Don’t
be afraid to have the courage to try new things and take on unknown
experiences.
Let your conscience be your guide and roadmap. Take a stand against injustice and don’t let
it derail your progress. Some of the most courageous people in the world have
become just that because their conscience simply wouldn’t
allow them to ignore what was happening around them.
Let the fear in and overcome it. “Courage is not the absence of fear. True courage is feeling fear but doing what
needs to be done anyway.” Become an
active participant in your life goals and business dreams. Don’t just be a bystander.
Lastly and most importantly, never give up! It takes both courage and determination to
truly go after what you want and take what may seem to be the unattainable and
make it attainable. If you’re feeling
down or a business deal falls through, pick yourself back up and keep
going. Courage is not merely word, it’s
a state of mind. “If you can cultivate a
courageous state of mind and never give up on what you want, eventually, you
will reach your goals.”
Here are some articles you might want to check out
about being courageous in business:
“Cultivating Courage in Business”: http://cfthemagazine.com/2011-03/cultivating-courage-in-business/
“How to Have More Courage in Business”: http://www.simplicitymktg.com/how-to-tips/how-to-have-more-courage-in-business/
“Courage in Business – A Good Thing”: http://www.marchfifteen.ca/courage-in-business-a-good-thing/
Until next time…
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