An Entrepreneur’s Most Frequently Asked Question. “Am I going to make it?”

“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” – Anonymous

“Am I going to make it?” This is a question we all ask at least once in our lives. We all have goals and aspirations that we wish to achieve, but the question that needs to be asked instead is “What do I need to make it?” As an entrepreneur, I along with many others, face this question on a regular basis. In order to alleviate these doubting thoughts, I have lived and developed a foolproof criterion that assures the success of an entrepreneur. If you meet all five points of the criterion listed below, then I can undoubtedly assure you that YES, you will make it!

Dream

First and for most, do you have a dream? Your dream will be the destination of your entrepreneurship. Is your dream crystal clear? A crystal clear dream shows you exactly where you want to be. Having this type of a dream becomes uncontainable. It is something you can’t wait to share with others. The excitement is contagious, resulting in others wanting to to be a part of your dream. In sharing my dream with others, I have gained a sense of purpose and direction as I leverage building a successful team and business around me.

In order to stay focused on my dream, I use a “Dream Board.” A “Dream Board” can be a physical and or mental manifestation of your dream’s details and characteristics. I love to hear people describe theirs. Often “Dream Board” objectives are focused on getting a dream car, a home, a vacation, or some form of monetary gain. My “Dream Board” was like that until I received coaching and identified that the objective needed to be changed. It shifted from measuring success with possessions to measuring success with my personal growth.

My “Dream Board” objective became about WHO I WANTED TO BECOME. My perspective and thoughts on success had been transformed. This transformation of objectives is an amazing journey. I recommend that you take your dream to a whole new level. Review your perspective and challenge yourself to project 5 to 10 years into the future in your “Dream Board.” With this move, you will experience an incredible shift in your outlook. I believe that the number one reason for my success up to this point as an Entrepreneur is that I constantly challenge myself to be the person I want to become. I am striving towards a better me, every day.

“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” ― C.G. Jung

Purpose

 “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

        Do you have a purpose? If your dream is filled with purpose, you are one step closer to its manifestation. Your purpose will act as the fuel that will propel you towards your dream’s destination. It is crucial to understand that your dream is the destination you are journeying towards, but your purpose is your momentum that fuels your life eternally. Ultimately, not only should your dream be filled with purpose, but your life as well. A purpose driven life is a productive life.

The next step would be to ask yourself, why is your purpose important? Understanding the WHY factor of your purpose can help you attain the WHATs and the HOWs. For example, what do you want to fulfill with your purpose? What impact do you want to make? What transformations do you want to ignite? And lastly, what drives you and your dream? Once you have identified what your purpose is composed of, then you can easily act on how to implement your purpose in your life. Identifying these things will help develop a solid foundation for your purpose. As an entrepreneur, every step you take should be purpose driven and bearing fruit.

“You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it courageously.” 
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Passion

       Do you live your life with passion? A successful life integrates passion into one’s work and personal life. The passion in your life is the fire that lights and warms your way towards your purposed filled dream. Nothing significant has ever taken place without passion. As an entrepreneur, I must love everything I do; otherwise, I have set myself in the opposite trajectory of success. With love and passion, anything can become attainable, bearable, and possible. If you put your heart into your work and into your dreams, I can assure you, you will succeed. When living and working with passion, your life and life’s work is filled with value. Not only are you gaining and building value for yourself, but also you end up adding value to other peoples’ lives. This is the power of a passion driven dream. When gold is put through fire, it comes out purer, brighter, refined and even more beautiful. Treat your work, goals, dreams and even yourself as such, put your self through the fire of passion and bear witness to the remarkable results.

“I try to live my life where I end up at a point where I have no regrets. So I try to choose the road that I have the most passion on because then you can never really blame yourself for making the wrong choices. You can always say you’re following your passion.” – Darren Aronofsky

Ability

       Are you able to bring your dream to fruition? Is it in your power and capability to take on the tasks at hand to make your dream a reality? Here is the moment of truth. You must be honest and self-reflective. Being reasonable and realistic is key. Your abilities are the tools you need to use to attain the success you are striving for. It is like the engine you will utilize to reach your destination. If you are not built for a specific cause, then it is futile to reach from something that isn’t meant for you. For example, at church, I like to sing loudly; nevertheless, I do not have the vocal cords to sing nicely. My daughters always taunt me humorously and request of me not to sing with such fervor. I am not designed to sing. No matter how hard I try and how ever much time I spend on developing my voice, it could never become excellent. Working on weaknesses can only result in small changes; with all my efforts I could only become an average singer. Therefore I believe in developing one’s strengths. If you are already well equipped with certain abilities and gifts, then why not invest in them. When in pursuit of success, realize this fact, identify your abilities and act accordingly. With the right engine, you can reach your destination.

“Ability without dependability is a liability” -Shiv Khera

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz

Attitude

       Last but not least, do you have the right attitude for success? I am always emphasizing that you need to work more on yourself than on your job. This increases the value you put on yourself and thereby affecting the value that others are willing to put on you. The best way to improve your own worth is by enhancing your own attitude. When on the road towards success, your attitude will be the speed at which you travel. With the right attitude and mentality, you can make all the right choices, make all the right impacts, meet all the right people, and gain all the right advantages. Ultimately, you are your own greatest challenge. If you can overcome your own weakness with the right attitude then success if a given.

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” – Thomas Jefferson

“Our attitude towards life determines life’s attitude towards us.” – Earl Nightingale

If you were able to identify with all five points of this criterion, then I would like to say Congratulations! If you have a dream, a purpose, a passion, the ability and the right attitude, then you are set for success. If you found in yourself an area of weakness from within this criterion, then focus on that point and strengthen it. Stop looking and start doing. If you meet and exceed these five criteria, you are unstoppable. You will make it, assuredly as an entrepreneur, or anything else you wish to be.

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Farshad Asl