SUCCESS OR FAILURE? THE CHOICE IS YOURS.
by Patrick Tan

Success or failure? The choice is yours.

Many people have dreamt of running their own business and becoming rich, but few actually set off on this challenging path to success.  And of the few whom have attempted, the majority failed to persevere and move on with dogged determination once they encountered setbacks.

What caused them to fail or withdraw from their dreams?  In my opinion, too often than not, it is our minds that are playing tricks on us. 

Human beings are communal creatures.  Since young, we are subject to different rules and regulations and trained to conform to various stereotypes, expectations and social norms.  We like to compare our performance with our peers and feel pressured to measure up to their achievements.  We resist changes, uncertainties and failures naturally.  Exchanging one's rice bowl for pursuing a dream is generally frowned upon and not welcome by the people around us. 

The reasons are obvious.  Running your own business involves taking a calculated risk.  The business world is evolving all the time.  The future is uncertain because you are venturing out into uncharted waters. You cannot anticipate every move and hope to learn and solve everything in one go.  While you have done your research and taken every step to prepare yourself for the challenge, things might still take a turn for the worse and your business fails to take off. 

When that happens, you risk losing everything you have saved in the past ten, or maybe twenty years.  And you will lose more than just your financial resources. When you re-enter the job market, you will find yourself set back a few rungs below your peers on the corporate ladder.  Worse, in some society that adheres rigidly to standards and norms, you might find yourself shut out from a corporate career, as no one would believe that you would ever settle down in a job.

You will also lose a steady source of income when you run your own business, especially during the start-up period.  This is the biggest deterrent for those with family commitments.  Very often, you hear an aspiring entrepreneur says he need some time to set aside a sum of money for his family before he can venture out to pursue his dream.  And very often too, that day never comes.  Why?  How much money should be set aside?  How much is enough?  Nobody knows, and it is human nature that nothing will ever be enough. 

When these negative factors reside in your mind, your vision will be cluttered, your confidence wavered and your drive weakened considerably.  And most of the times, you will end up choosing the path of least resistance - to stay put in your present job - and resign yourself to the "fact" that entrepreneur is an exclusive breed and you do not have what it takes to become one.

Is that true?  Well, to a certain extent, yes.  What set them apart from you is perhaps their mental strength.  They have a never-say-die attitude.  They thrive in uncertainties and adversities.  Nothing seems impossible to them.  To these possibility thinkers, everything can be learned, every problem can be solved and every adversity can be turned into opportunities.  All that they require are a positive mind and a dogged determination to succeed. 

Failure to them is not final, but an important step to learn and prepare for the next step to success.  They are prepared to rough it out when times get really bad.  Many entrepreneurs do not become successful overnight.  You have probably read many rag-to-riches stories about how entrepreneurs weathered through numerous hardships and setbacks before they became successful. 

This feat is certainly not for the weak-minded.  It requires great motivation, determination and mental strength to persevere to the end.  Some people think that entrepreneurs are motivated by their greed for money.  I beg to differ.  A motivation driven by materialistic greed will not be able to withstand the test of time.  In the above cases, those entrepreneurs would have given up long ago before they tasted the fruit of success.

Wealth is a by-product of success, and should not be seen as a goal in itself.  Drawing from my own experience, I believe entrepreneurs are driven by a mission that we uphold religiously and faithfully with our lives.  It is this mission that gives us unlimited energy and mental strength to fight against all odds.  It may not be something as great as saving the world, but it certainly provides a person with a meaningful purpose in life that he wishes to be remembered for when he departs from this world.

Now that you know what makes an entrepreneur ticks, do you still believe that entrepreneur is an exclusive breed?  While some people exhibit instinctive entrepreneurial qualities when they are very young, many others learn to be entrepreneurs later in their life. You can be trained to be one if this is what you want to do with your life. 

The first step is to discover your mission in life.  Social standards and norms may have cluttered your conscious mind.  As the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates once said: "Life without self-examination is not worth living."  So, do start to examine yourself critically on every aspect of your life regularly.  Cross-examine every likes and dislikes, and scrutinize every thought in your mind.  Learn to be curious about yourself and about everything that is happening around you.  In the process, you will understand yourself better.  Listen to your soul and unleash the "giant" within you.

Learn to accept yourself as what you are - embrace your strengths and shortcomings.  Nobody is born perfect!  The key to success is to learn how to be a better person by maximizing your strengths and minimizing your weaknesses.  If you are not comfortable with yourself, who will?  Stop comparing yourself with others; the only person you should ever challenge is yourself.  Set small targets day after day and challenge yourself to achieve them every day, week, month and year.  It will help to build up your confidence over time.

Wipe out the word "impossible" and all negative thoughts from your memory.  Stay away from the prophets of doom.  Associate yourself with like-minded people who want to be successful in life.  Their positive attitude should have a favorable influence on you very soon.

Learn to be a possibility thinker.  Everything is possible if you set your mind to do it.  Overcome your fear and the groundless excuses that are keeping you from pursuing your dream, success and happiness.  Follow your heart to your dream and then use your logic to develop a workable plan to turn your dream into reality.

Tell yourself that talented people are "talented" because they practice hard every day to perfect their skills.  Otherwise, their "born talents" will be lost.  Tell yourself that smart people are "smart" because they read a lot and study hard.  Tell yourself that people succeed in life because they work very hard to achieve their goals. 

Remember always that it is your attitude, and not your aptitude that determines your altitude.  Train your mind to think like a winner, and you will soon find yourself on the road to success.  Success or failure?  The choice is yours.  Follow your dream, nurture and cultivate your possibilities, remove the negative elements, and you will be able to see your dream blossoms into reality.

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Patrick Tan, a former journalist and entrepreneur, offers a complete range of e-commerce solutions, services and free resources to help you build a successful career online. Visit his site at http://www.aloha-city.com for more information. He publishes a free newsletter to share his experience and business know-how. Subscribe Now! basics@aloha-city.com