I want to give you a clear mental picture of what the entrepreneurial mindset is.

Although the obvious, and probably most common, answer is a mindset an entrepreneur has; there’s more to it.

Unfortunately there’s no actual dictionary definition, which means it’s open for interpretation. Ask five people what it means to them and you’re likely to get five different answers.

Here’s my belief when it comes to this type of mindset.

I believe entrepreneurs have a core set of ingredients that go into making their mindset what it is. Take a look at entrepreneurs who are in the trenches and you’ll see these ingredients:

• motivation
• determination
• passion
• ridiculous work ethic; and
• the insane hunger to succeed

All these ingredients fused into one make up a mindset that’s on steroids, the legal kind.

That’s what the entrepreneurial mindset is all about; drastically improving your thought process and as a result pushing you beyond what you thought possible.

Simply put, the entrepreneurial mindset is a mindset that takes you from mediocre to remarkable.

That’s why I blog about it and that’s why I’m so passionate about urging you to adopt it into your life.

I’ve said it before, but it needs to be repeated. You owe it to yourself to do what it takes to get to where you want to be. Read that sentence again.

But what about this…

What if you don’t want to be an entrepreneur?

You may not have the urge to be one, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take those ingredients and improve yourself. Show me a person who’s willing to improve themselves and I’ll show you one that’s closer to succeeding.

Better to be a remarkable employee than just another employee that’s replaceable.

Share your thoughts

Now you know what it means to me, but this isn’t about me; what does the entrepreneurial mindset mean to you?

There’s a very thin line between success and failure. so thin that you don’t have the time to sit around. Instead, you have to do one thing and one thing only.

Here it is…

Get off your ass and create your future! Very blunt and very true.

Your future depends on it

Yes, It’s that simple; get off your butt and be proactive. Your future depends on it.

This is where most people fall into mediocrity. Instead of being proactive they are passive and rely on what they want to come to them; it doesn’t work that way.

Take responsibility for your future. It’s up to you and you alone. Don’t accept complacency.

Starting now, promise me —but more importantly yourself— you won’t sit around and wait for things to happen anymore.

Taking action gets you results; sitting around gets you nothing, zilch, nada.

In order to create an entrepreneurial mindset, you have to understand the importance of taking action and then putting it to use.

Share your thoughts

It’s easy to sit around and just go with the flow, but I guarantee you one thing: what you want won’t fall into your lap.

Starting now, are you going to take charge and take your future in your hands or are you going to wait around and hope for a successful future?

If you had a 100% chance at achieving your dream by only taking a risk, would you take that risk?

Taking a risk is a scary thing. You have no idea what the outcome is going to be and you’re literally flying blind.

An entrepreneur’s biggest asset is their ability to block out all fear of the unknown and to keep pushing forward.

If entrepreneurs can do it without hesitation, why not you?

Have no fear

The phrase “risk taking” might send chills running up and down your spine. The very thought of taking a risk might even send you running for the nearest exit.

Well it shouldn’t.

Why shouldn’t it? If you have a vision for your life professionally and personally, there’s a certain amount of risk taking that will be inevitable in order to see that vision come to fruition.

There’s no way around it.

You can hide from it all you want, eventually it’ll find you.

You might be thinking, “well I’m not an entrepreneur, so I don’t have that kind of bravery.” You’re completely wrong.

You have it in you! The first step is for you to realize that. No more living in denial for you.

Why people avoid risk taking

People avoid taking risks simply because of fear, more specifically the fear of failure. When you take a risk there’s a chance that you will encounter failure.

It’s a hard pill to swallow; no one likes to fail.

The funny thing about failure is that it’s one of your most potent weapons in reaching success.

Why is it such a potent weapon?

It’s potent because of what it gives you, the ability to learn. Failing allows you to see what doesn’t work so that you can do what does work, that’s powerful.

Failure only holds you down if you let it. If you let it work for you, that’s when you start using failure to your advantage. That’s when success after success happens.

Lose your sense of fear and you gain your sense of worth. Read that sentence one more time.

Why you should take risks

You may not be an entrepreneur, but you can still take risks that will help you reach your goals. Here are a couple examples of risk taking:

• a new product idea that you want to run by your boss
• reaching out to other bloggers and asking for guest posts

These examples are risk taking on a smaller scale, but still are a source of fear for people. Why are they a source of fear? Because a person doesn’t know what type of reaction or outcome they will get.

So they stop before they even try.

How about this:

Why you should never ever run

If you run now you’ll be running for the rest of your life. Meanwhile, that promotion you wanted will never happen, your goals will never be accomplished and you run away from success.

Sure, you’ll fail from time to time, but that’s life and the price you pay for reaching success. There’s an old quote that goes like this:

“I missed 100% of the shots I didn’t take.” ~Wayne Gretzky

Read that again, and again, and again. When you think you’ve read it enough times read it again.

Share your thoughts

As I’ve said, risk taking is a scary but necessary thing if you want to reach success. What’s your stance on risk taking? Do you find that when you’re face to face with a decision that involves risk, does your mind push forward or does it lock up in fear?

Gary Vay-ner-chuk is one of my favorite entrepreneurs and social media engagers. Why? because of how real he is; he doesn’t sugar coat anything…and I do mean anything.

He has mastered the art of the hustle and is an advocate of ridiculous work ethic, but more importantly, he’s a genuine person that cares.

Here are 6 motivational quotes from the man himself that will light a fire inside of you.

1. There’s no reason in 2012, to do shit you hate. NONE. You can lose just as much money being happy as hell.

2. You didn’t grow up driving…you figured it out.

3. Look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, what do I want to do everyday for the rest of my life…do that.

4. Stop crying…keep hustling.

5. We only get to play this game one time…one life.

6. A penguin cannot become a giraffe, so just be the best penguin you can be.

Here’s a video of Gary in action:

Share your thoughts

I’m interested to know how you’re being the best you can be.

 

Recently, I left a comment on Rob White’s “when two hands on the clock meet on twelve” post and his reply is what sparked this post:

Hi Jeremy. YES, life is all about adjustments, and you are one to adjust when it’s called for. One characteristic of a sheep-like mind is not adjusting. Weak minds want other minds to lead the way. You have a strong mind, and thus, you are able to adjust on your own. That’s a gift you help others to find in themselves. Thank you.

Now, I bet you’re wondering what the hell Gumby has to do with the art of adjusting. Well, if you’re not familiar with the green cartoon character, he’s made of clay and can literally morph into anything.

No matter what situation he finds himself in, he can adjust and create a positive outcome. Yes, you can learn a thing or two from a clay cartoon character.

Why is adjusting important and what does that have to do with the entrepreneurial mindset?

The ability to be flexible and adjust to what life throws at you is crucial. Successful entrepreneurs do it, successful people do it, so why not you?

When life throws C at you and you were expecting A to happen, you have to be able to adjust to the situation; turning the outcome into something positive.

Master the art of adjusting and you will have absolutely no problem staying nimble as situations change…and they change a lot.

What lessons can you draw from Gumby?

• Be flexible.
• Be willing to adjust to different situations on the fly.
• Be willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.
• Wish you had the ability to morph

Having the ability to adjust is a key ingredient to a successful mindset and ultimately, success in life. If you’re unable to adjust, you’ll find yourself in some very difficult situations whether it’s in your career or in your personal life.

As Rob states, “Life is all about adjustments,” so start doing it!

Share your thoughts

What’s your take on adjusting? Are you a person who finds it easy to adjust to different situations or is it difficult for you?

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