Risk-taker…imaginative…venturesome…visionary…industrious…opportunistic—such are the expressions most people use to describe an entrepreneur. While these descriptions are usually accurate, many people fail to see entrepreneurs for what they really are: the embodiment of courage. Entrepreneurs know there is a direct correlation between success and their courageous leadership quotient.
Entrepreneurs represent the true portraits of courageous endeavor. Why? Rather than accept the status quo, they trust their own abilities, define their own career and step up to the challenge of creating the business of their dreams. They give themselves permission to go against the norm and make bold moves into uncharted waters. As a result, they reap intrinsic rewards from their own efforts and achieve the results that lead to long-term success. Below are the final four of twelve tips for entrepreneurs to apply everyday courage. How many did you access you apply and demonstrate?
1. Live Convictions
One entrepreneur told me that applying his courage at work requires that he demonstrate daily an unconditional commitment to his beliefs, values and ideals. This is not an easy commitment to maintain, especially if you are stuck in invisibility—an obstacle to courage. Are you willing to showcase your talents, take a risk, face failure, overcome rejection and say “No” to conformity (a courage killer)? Conformity compresses talent. The savvy entrepreneur knows that there is a direct correlation between their courage quotient and success. Do you remember what it feels like to “fall on your sword?”
2. Confront abuse
Recognizing first red flags that undermine success such as a client trying to discount your services or alter your course of action is a critical courage action. To stand in your dignity means denial is not an option. Denial is a form of self-abuse that creates suffering such as sleepless nights. Reflect on a situation at work that causes tension (or worse) in your life. As you examine the situation, begin to notice your “default” courage settings. Then, take responsibility for your courage consciousness development and declare, “No more suffering.”
3. Overcome illness or loss
Do the challenges you face seem so daunting that you have allowed your unique talents and unlimited potential to wither away in neglect? Has self-neglect robbed you of the inner strength to act in your own best interests? If you answered “Yes” to either of these questions, you can begin to strengthen your spirit and overcome the obstacle of self-neglect that perpetuates physical illness or loss of identity. Throughout the day, how many masks do you wear that keep you neglecting your true Self? What mask are you wearing right now, such as depression, judgment, suffering or blame? Are you a “self-neglect profile” in non-courage? Identifying the first small step to motivate yourself quells any anxiety. Focus on something immediate and easily reachable. This narrow focus helps you recognize that courage is an accumulation of small steps up the ladder, and this simple recognition helps you avoid standing on one leg in the dark. When was the last time you shed one false portrait?
4. Embrace faith
Wouldn’t it be nice if you knew a saint, such as St. Teresa of Avila? You could meet for a cup of java and talk about the aspects of working in as an enlightened entrepreneur. Saints started out as ordinary people; then, their purpose unfolded. The difference between the saints and most of us is that they listened and trusted the undertones of their hearts (their courage) while the rest of us allowed our ego-based scripts to keep us wavering in uncertainty. Uncertainty may seem unavoidable in our age of information overload, bombarded as we are with contradictory “facts” from every quarter making it harder and harder to distinguish truth from falsehood. But we all have a choice, and getting stuck in uncertainty is essentially choosing not to choose. By focusing our attention inward and following our hearts, we strengthen our faith in our true, courageous selves and step up, confident that we are following our own true paths.
Courageous Actions Equals Productivity
If everyday courage has eluded your spirit in the past, now is the time to step up and make your entrepreneurial vision a profile in courage—the one that reveals your heart and spirit.
Sandra Ford Walston is known as The Courage Expert and innovator of StuckThinking™. She is an organizational effectiveness consultant, speaker, internationally published author of bestseller COURAGE, trainer and courage coach. She is certified in the Enneagram and MBTI®. Please visit www.sandrawalston.com.
Sandra Ford Walston, The Courage Expert
Innovator, StuckThinking™
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