Everyone wants the secret formula to long success. People are looking for a hack or trick that will get them the results they desire overnight.
Let me be the first to tell you… it doesn’t exist.
Yes, certain habits and behaviors will provide conducive conditions for your desired results, but I do not believe there is a magic formula.
I am not new to the journey of entrepreneurship. I have spent the last decade creating my own income day after day. While it has been extremely rewarding to be present for the ones and times I wanted to be present because of time freedom, it has not been an easy journey at all.
I had no desire growing up to create an entrepreneurial lifestyle. It wasn’t like I grew up in a family that embraced entrepreneurship. I was a child of two very hard working blue-collar workers in the middle of the Bible Belt. You can only imagine the belief system around money that comes from that upbringing. One of the biggest things my parents instilled in me was discipline and hard work. I watched them work extremely hard to accomplish what they achieved.
My dad had so many talents he never fully used, my guess would be from self doubt and fear. He had a family to provide for, and he couldn’t risk failure in order to chase his dreams and use the talents he had. He chose to use them in the workplace, and others benefited financially from his gifts and talents.
I have been told so many times by people, “I couldn’t do what you do.” I get it… it isn’t always an easy life to live.
I often think about what it takes to achieve the level you want to achieve, and I came up with some key behaviors commonly found amongst the entrepreneurs.
Success Definition
So many trainers and leaders talk about defining your why, so you can have something to hold onto during the trying times. I believe it begins with defining your ideal of success. Success means different things to different people. Early on, my definition of success was having time and money. It was never defined by a certain income goal or status. It was defined as having the time to show up where I wanted to show up, and the money to do it with.
As I became more involved in the online world, I lost sight of what success meant to me. Too many are so focused on $10,000 a month or 6/7 figure income. Here is a nugget, a lot of those people still don’t feel successful. The goal line continues to move for them, and they continue to feel unfulfilled. Only you can decide what success means to you.
Happiness… Embrace the Journey
This is one that I have really been focused on in the last few months. Discovering what makes me happy in the entrepreneurial journey. Sometimes the things that are the most comfortable to you are not what make you happy. Happiness and comfort are not the same thing. I have been comfortable many times on this journey, but I never fully felt happiness.
I am on a quest to experience happiness every day. I want to be happy. I want to wake up and feel joy in going about the daily activities. Rumi said, “Happiness is now.” If you are chasing happiness, you will never find it. Happiness is elusive. You don’t reach it, you live it.
Start doing things that contribute to your happiness. I believe that happiness is a state of mind, and find the things that keep you in that space.
I am learning that I love to teach and create. I had been told my whole life I would not be a good teacher, but found that I spent most of my sales career teaching and educating others. When I get to transfer my knowledge to others, it contributes to my happiness. Find what makes you happy and do it.
Adaptability or Flexibility
As I have really dove into this journey of living each day full of happiness and finding activities in which I truly enjoy doing. I have had to learn that flexibility and change doesn’t equal failure. Too many years of my life have been spent thinking that when you change, you are admitting failure on your part.
You didn’t get it right the first time. As I reflect back on the last 12 months, I can see so much flexibility in my journey and feel myself becoming more fulfilled daily. It is okay to pivot in business. Honestly, it is one of the top attributes of a successful entrepreneur. They are willing to test and pivot.
Intentionality
Activity is important in business, but it needs to be intentional activity. The activity needs to have a purpose behind it. We can all get caught up in busy work, but if there isn’t a purpose behind the work, we may need to stop it.
Perseverance
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint at heart. It is full of ebbs and flows along the way. You Learn the power of perseverance, and show up when you don’t feel like it, want to do other things, and do not see the desired results. Trust in the process. If you are working a defined action plan with intention, results will come. They may not be as fast as you would like, but they will come. Embrace the journey and celebrate the small wins. The small wins compound into large wins.
Actionable
Entrepreneurs have to be action takers. It is an activity based business. Focus on the level of activity you are doing, and less on the results you are receiving. I know it is so hard to focus on activity versus results, but try it and see the difference. Remember we cannot control the results, we can only control our activity.
Consistency
Some days you just don’t feel like showing up for the business. It is during the times of consistent action when you will see the biggest growth in your business. You have established intentional activity to move you toward your goals. Now it is time to show up consistently in action.
Tunnel Vision
Noise is inevitable in business. You will have the naysayers, the doubters, and a lot of shiny objects to distract you. It is imperative you develop tunnel vision on your goals. Have clarity around what you want to accomplish and how to accomplish it will make it so much easier to quiet the voices and distractions.
One voice you really have to watch out for is your own internal voice. Discover how to quiet those voices you hear like the voice of procrastination, self doubt, fear, approval, and so many more. Know you will experience and be prepared to fight through them.
Coachable
The last trait I want to touch on is being coachable. We sometimes have to admit we don’t know how to get to our desired goal alone. Be willing to try new things and commit. You can take the long road of trying to figure things out alone, or you can ask for help.
Coaching doesn’t always mean you join a mastermind or hire a mentor. Sometimes, it comes from free Youtube content of someone who has accomplished your goals. When I first started embracing the online marketing world, I stumbled across Jacob Caris on Youtube. I consumed every video he had created to learn about being an effective marketer. I joined his Facebook group. He had the desired results I wanted, and I was willing to be coached. The funny thing was, he had no idea he was impacting my business until I joined his mastermind, The Super Affiliate Accelerator, several months later. If you would like to take a look at the BluePrint he teaches, check out this content packed course, Super Affiliate Intensive. Jacob reveals his 4 part Blueprint that has helped hundreds of students make money online. These concepts can be applied to any business wanting to grow their online presence. Check out the SAI, today.
Any entrepreneur or business owner will have their own list of characteristics needed for success. Decide what you feel is a necessity when it comes to the entrepreneurial journey. Find what it takes for you to crush your goals.
I would love to know your ideas about the traits or behaviors of a successful entrepreneur.
Comment and let me know.