Monday
06Jul2009
The Action Secret: Master Key To Success As An Entrepreneur
Monday, July 6, 2009 at 12:10PM Walt Disney is quoted as saying, "While the worriers are worrying, the planners are planning and the accountants are figuring out why we can't afford it, I'm busy getting started." The lesson in this quote is profound for entrepreneurs that spend too much time thinking, considering and planning, and consulting with others regarding their ideas. The philosophy of simply getting started, putting your ideas into motion, and taking action before you are ready is cornerstone behavior for any successful entrepreneur.
Have you ever had an idea you thought was so original, so unique, and so marketable that you just knew it would make you a millionaire? Then, found a few weeks or months later someone had "stolen" your idea and brought it to market successfully? If so, now you know that it is not necessarily all about who has the best idea. Success in entrepreneurship is more linked to your ability to speedily put your ideas into action. Many teachers, business schools, and texts teach business planning as a long, arduous process that takes as little as 8 weeks to as much as an entire year!
This mindset is absolutely counter productive to your ability to succeed as an entrepreneur. Respected US General Norman Schwarzkopf said that, "I'd rather be moving in the wrong direction than no direction at all. It is easier to correct course than to start." It is much, much more productive to "fail forward" fast and course correct along the way. That is not to say that there is no value to planning and consulting with others when developing your ideas, but you must not let this activity go on and on until you have missed your opportunity to bring your idea to market at the best moment.
Face up to the fact that you will never be completely ready to proceed and confront your fear of failure which is what will cause you to spend too much time "getting ready to get started." Sounds almost ridiculous when put into words like that, does it not? If you want to be a successful entrepreneur then you must choose to have the confidence in your ideas to move forward without excessive planning or seeking the approval of, or permission from others.
Ideas are abundant, but your time is extremely finite. You are not going to get more time and you are not going to get a second chance. The amazing opportunity we have as entrepreneurs is that we only have to be right once. The challenge is that you will probably have to fail many times before getting to that one idea that is the right idea. Thomas Edison failed over one thousand times before he successfully invented the light bulb, but he stayed focused on that one idea until he brought it to reality. Do you have such a burning desire to see your idea through to fruition that you are willing to fail over one thousand times?
Now it is time to stop planning and start taking action whether you are "ready" or not. Write your idea at the top of a blank piece of paper and directly beneath it write the question, "What are the next steps?" or "How can I get started right now?" These must be meaningful action steps that move you closer to success and not random "activity" that is masquerading as productivity. Now that you have a solid list of action steps, get to work. Knock each one out one by one and soon you will experience a surge of self confidence in your ability to execute as an entrepreneur.
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