Success Comes When We Make Innovation As a Habit

When I heard the phrase, fast fish eating slow fish, I thought about the importance of how alert an entrepreneur should be to stay afloat in the era of technology obsolescence and evolving economic dynamics. In fact, the earlier scenario where traditional people like us confronted was big fish eating small fish. In politics as well as in business this has been a common phenomenon. We live in an era where fast fish eats slow fish where entrepreneurs who closely follow the trends and respond to them with agility will survive at the expense of slow decision makers.

As new challenges are emerging, there is nothing like 100% sure shot ways to make businesses profitable or careers enriching. But when I observed 90% of the start-ups fail due to lack of innovation, I have decided to pen down my views to cultivate the habit of innovation among students or youth who have high aspirations.

Innovation Applicable to Families Also!

Leave businesses, if one is not innovative one finds it difficult to lead even family lives also. If the wife is a continuous learner, risk taker, and productive she will overtake her husband in finances as well as intellect. This will lead to the inferiority complex in the mind of husband, lack of respect from children, relatives leading to complications in relationships. To avoid this, start from families the habit of innovation. This will give children the right message.

Creating Future?

Changes make many perplexed. Market scenario constantly changes and that is one of the reasons the courses students learn suddenly becomes irrelevant. Youth may wonder, what is in store for them? The answer to this question is uncertainty. Then another question may arise, does this mean we give up? I will suggest no, as management guru Peter Drucker has answered this, "The best way to predict future is to create it." Now, let us consider how we can predict the future. The answer lies in ideating with the help of relevant research.

Identify a Mission

Dr. Kalam further stated, "To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal." You may be a student or an aspiring entrepreneur intending to launch a start-up. For that first of all, you need to ideate with the help of research.

Be Thinkers, Research, Make Clear Presentation

Ideating doesn't come easily. For that one has to think. Let us turn to Dr. Kalam who exhorted, "Have an aim in life, continuously acquire knowledge."

Let us stop job seeking, have career trying instead where you put your heart and soul into knowledge and its applications. To realize your career dream, you need to acquire specialized knowledge in your career stream. Not all, but some may ask, how? Suppose your goal is to be a structural engineer, research on the job description of that position. There you can find specialization like making calculations about loads and stresses.

If you have a fair knowledge about the excess load that may cause structural failure, you can show your value proposition to your employer. But do this with a case study approach. Case studies are substitutes for ancient storytelling. Therefore, have an eye on case studies that appear in websites. Develop knowledge, observe structures, ask questions, observe failures, and create your niche knowledge and see whether you can add more value to the processes. This is one case you can find a career.

To find a career in any domain, the procedure is same. Specialise in one core area that matches your aptitude.

Execute Ideas after Consideration

Awareness, consideration, and conversion - that is the rule in marketing. Whatever you ideate you need to execute or convert into action. If you have a strategy of learning lessons from failure analysis, you can execute a plan with low risk. Today, the recipients of products and services have high expectations. The only way to survive in the market is by offering goods and services of superior quality. Apply the same approach to education also. The thrust here is there should be a mechanism to regularly connect with the businesses and understand niche requirements and develop custom content to make students employable. There should be a constant emphasis on the expectation of quality of product and services. This will make them prepared to meet uncertainties with ease.

Role of Institutes

Finally, product knowledge or specialization alone will not fetch result. Knowledge of marketing alone will bring the desired results. My point is marketing should not be confined to MBA students. Students should get a crash course in marketing, how or why companies advertise and for whom. Education institutes should inform their students clearly that the purpose of a business is to create a customer.

Educational institutes should have a policy to encourage students on career-related content development networking with companies and industry thought leaders. They should invite industry thought leaders to conduct seminars on skill requirements to make students ready for the career. Be it arts, science, engineering, or technology; education institutes can create effective executives for India Inc., along with the steps mentioned above.

Let Us Together Foster Excellence

Let me come back to the key theme - fast fish will consume slow fish. You may be a student or an entrepreneur. But you need to understand time is premium and redeeming the time with specialized knowledge, tailored communication, and efficient execution to become fast fish and be relevant to the markets. Finally, remember the advice of Bharat Ratna Dr. Kalam, "Excellence is a continuous process." Have a strong determination to be successful by remembering the vision of Dr. Kalam.

One can be successful with making innovation as a habit

https://ezinearticles.com/?Success-Comes-When-We-Make-Innovation-As-a-Habit&id=9857008

5 Ways the Rules of Success Have Changed (From SUCCESS Academy )

We’re living in an opportunity-filled age where anyone can open the door to success.

Thanks to the very technology you’re using to read these words, ordinary people can solve extraordinary problems. And experience extraordinary results.

The rules of success have changed rapidly in the last 20 years, giving you the keys to unlocking achievement that no one predicted were even possible just decades ago.

Rule #1: The “little guy” holds all the power.

If you’re reading this, you are the little guy. You don’t have the capital, the workforce or resources available to Fortune 100 companies, or at least you don’t have access to them right now. But what you do have is all of the power you need to create necessities for success—ideas, money, people to help.

Technology has made it possible for you to create the essential elements of business out of thin air. For the very first time, individuals can disrupt entire industries by themselves. Just think about all the dorm room startups we’ve seen turn into million and billion dollar companies. We’re living in an incredible age and big business is shaking in its boots.

As you’re about to discover, all you need is a problem to solve, an idea and a passion to drive you. Let’s use startup costs as an example…

Rule #2: Startup costs are no longer an issue.

While compiling research for entrepreneurs and students at Singularity University to embrace as part of an Exponential Thinking exercise, I sat down and spoke with Eric Migicovsky, the founder of Pebble, an Apple iWatch competitor.

Eric went from next to nothing—just an idea in a project “incubator” think-tank program to a direct competitor to Apple, overnight with a single Kickstarter Campaign.

He had planned to do it step-by-step, sending press releases, going to events, looking for angel investors—all the strategies you had to use 20 or even 10 years ago to get funding for an idea.

But within two hours of his Kickstarter launch, his idea caught on and his followers, fueled by passion and viral internet hype, raised his entire $100,000 goal. Within six days, his project was the most funded project in Kickstarter history. He raised $4.7 million with 30 days left.

Money used to be the issue that kept businesses off the ground—even the smallest of startups. You had to take a massive risk to get started, investing your money or convincing investors while moving forward to create a product or offer you had to hope people would buy.

Crowdfunding has eliminated this barrier. If you have a great idea, you no longer need money to get it off the ground.

Rule #3: You can crowdsource your workforce.

You don’t need physical employees or a team in place to launch your idea anymore. And I’m not talking about your ability to outsource work to a single freelancer—I’m talking about true incentive-based crowdsourcing.

I sat down recently with Jack Hughes, the founder of TopCoder, a platform that allows you to hire design and technology experts using a competition model: You submit a project, people from all over the world compete to give you the best possible work and you pay only the winner.

Using incentive competitions like this, lean companies with a small workforce have a distinct advantage over corporate powerhouses. Crowdsourcing your workforce is much less expensive than a room full of employees working on a project—and it often results in better work.

Rule #4: All it takes is an idea you’re willing to act on.

“Yes, but I don’t have an idea” is something I hear quite a bit from entrepreneurs who have bold business dreams but nothing to build them on. My response is always this: Look to your passion for ideas.

What can you see yourself doing every day? What gets you excited? How do you spend time when you’re not working?

Back in 1996, I wanted to go to space—that was my passion. But I was never going to be an astronaut. At the time, I didn’t have the money, but I announced a $10-million prize to the first privately financed team who could put a passenger vehicle 100 kilometers into space twice within two weeks.

It was the first “XPRIZE” and the beginning of my XPRIZE Foundation.

Twenty-six teams from around the world invested well over $100 million in attempts to win the “Ansari XPRIZE” for sending a private passenger spacecraft into space. All it took to get started was that big idea.

Supporters joined, we raised the prize money and crowdsourced the solution. SpaceshipOne was the result.

Rule #5: Look for the billion-person problems.

Here’s the big lesson I like to leave entrepreneurs with, or really anyone looking to build a successful venture: The first step is finding a billion-person problem. One problem that affects at least one billion people. A big goal you want to solve. I call it a “moonshot” goal.

For example, take a look at the work Elon Musk is doing with Tesla or any one of his companies right now. Their business models revolve around billion-person problems.

When you discover one of these problems and get passionate about it, you also inspire the passion of billions of other people who are ready to help you succeed. After those people get on board, you don’t need to worry about resources, ideas or even capital. The crowd helps you take care of it all.

These are the new rules of success—and they are changing every day. Can you keep up?

http://www.success.com/blog/5-ways-the-rules-of-success-have-changed

How Successful People Think - Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude

Have you dreamed of becoming a successful entrepreneur, but don't know where to start?

You are not alone, there are millions of people who want to become successful entrepreneurs, but lack the necessary support. We are going to look at what steps you need to take in order to become a successful entrepreneur.

There is a tremendous amount of inaccurate information circulating that claim "you need to have money to make money" or "it is who you know not what you know". Granted having money and connections can help if you don't have the right mindset then all of the money in the world won't make you a success but if you follow the same habits that other successful entrepreneurs use then your chances of attaining success will grow exponentially.

Here are the three top secrets that work for me.

Everyone Can Be An Entrepreneur, Yes Everyone Including You!

Entrepreneurs are not born they are made and if you are reading this then you have the ability to become an entrepreneur because you have exhibited one of the best qualities an entrepreneur can have and that is a healthy curiosity. Successful business people are never content with the status quo, they are constantly looking for ways to do things better and that is what you are looking for as well, a faster way to achieve success!

We are going to look at what qualities a successful business leader has, some of these qualities you currently have and do not realize it. We will also look at what are some of the qualities that can hinder your success. Everyone has to start somewhere and today is the first day in the rest of your life so let's make it a great day!

The Power of Discovering Thinking Big

There is an adage, "If you can dream it you can achieve it" and this is one quality that all entrepreneurs have. Granted some of them are bigger dreamers than others, but they all share that common quality of envisioning themselves becoming very successful and then taking proactive steps towards that goal.

Sit down and make a list of all your goals no matter how farfetched they may seem in your mind. You are going to be amazed by how many goals you actually have.

After you have established what your goals are you need to come up with action items that can be implemented right away. These "action items" are things you can do right now that will bring you one step closer towards your goal of achieving success, no matter how small that step may be it is one more than you had yesterday. By having these milestones and working towards them you are more likely to attain your big goals.

To use an analogy, imagine you had to eat an elephant. How would you go about it? An elephant is a big animal weighing tons and nearly 7 meters high in some cases so it would be a big challenge to eat it in one meal. The only way to eat that elephant is one small piece at a time. This elephant is like your big dreams, you cannot do it all at one time but you can break it down into smaller segments which are easier to handle. By taking this gradual approach you will surely reach your goals no matter how lofty they may seem.

Most successful entrepreneurs keep a journal of each and every milestone they have attained and reward themselves for these successes. With each milestone that you reach you are getting closer to your goal that not so long ago you thought was "too big!"

Something that is vital is to never doubt your capability; most would be entrepreneurs fail not because they weren't capable. These individuals failed because they never bother to try, you are guaranteed to fail if you never make an attempt so with that mindset you really need to believe in yourself, other individuals just like you have attained success by sheer will and hard work so don't sell yourself short, be certain and take action.

Positive Thoughts and Affirmations

We have touched on the importance of setting big goals however we haven't looked at the role that positive thinking and affirmations have on our results. The human mind is a truly remarkable thing.

Whatever we envision and strive towards we can achieve. If a person tells themselves that making money is hard, only rich people can start their own business, I am not smart enough to run a business, these thoughts become reality and that person will find it very hard to start off in business or earn more money than what they are currently getting.

These positive thoughts will help you stay motivated even when you are facing challenges, and you will face challenges that are just the nature of life. To give you an example, a positive person will see an obstacle as a challenge while a negative person will see a "problem". The difference in thinking will have an impact on results. The good news is a negative mindset can be corrected by following a few of these exercises.

First look at other successful people who you consider heroes or role models, what do they do each and every day? They set a goal or series of goals and once that goal has been realized they reward themselves accordingly.

Once you start seeing yourself able to achieve these daily goals you will migrate away from the negative mindset into a more positive one. Start right now by taking responsibility for your own thoughts instead of saying "I hope" or "hopefully" try using "I will" or "I am" by using these possessive terms you are taking responsibility for your thoughts and that is a very empowering feeling.

We all want to be successful and once you start connecting your thoughts with results you can't help but want to be positive.

... let's focus on developing your positive attributes and achieve success together.

Success follows when we have a positive mental attitude.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Successful-People-Think---Success-Through-a-Positive-Mental-Attitude&id=9397016

How I Changed My Environment So That I Could Reach Success

Successful people are aware that at some point, if they wish to reach success then they needed to shake things up a little and change their environment to take it to the next level. They adjust the sails, follow their compass or take the better lane as they are approaching “that fork stuck in the road”. Sheldon shares the crucial moments and the decisions that he made while he was chasing his dreams of a better life, and how important it is to position yourself in a better environment for success.

Enjoy! – Joel Brown | CEO & Founder of Addicted2Success

Changing Your Environment To Reach Success

“I wanted to grow, not that I did not have a good job, I was now a member of Senior staff, I travelled, I had a small staff report to me, a car, benefits. I represented the company at International Conferences, where I learned lots. But during these Conferences my mind was opened from meeting all these former and present entrepreneurs and leaders, they fuelled my hunger with their stories:

A mind once expanded with knowledge cannot return to its former way of thinking

I found myself seeking new opportunities within the company, and getting cut short at each turn, but I didn’t give up, I expanded within my limits till I was stuck, nowhere to go.

Then, one day I got a casual call for a problem one of my junior staff couldn’t fix, but, it was after hours. I did the usual and started sorting the customer out. Suddenly the customer complained of the time, and asked could we continue tomorrow, I said no problem (tomorrow would take us into the weekend). He agreed to call me when he was set.

The next day at about noon the call came, we had a friendly chat until I solved the problem, It lasted the lunch hour or so. We spoke about my Family, Me, what I had done in life etc. When I solved his problem, he told me his business partner was experiencing a similar issue, could he let him call me this weekend also. I agreed.

Sunday at around 1PM his partner called, the call was similar, relaxing chit-chat etc, problem solved, by that time the call had gone to first name basis. and he invited, or rather demanded that I meet them for a drink after working hours on Tuesday. I agreed that we would confirm at noon Tuesday.

Tuesday, We all met at a popular hangout spot for the more affluent. I was introduced to a few businessmen that I knew from seeing them in the news. We sat had a few drinks, then these men explained the weekend to me. They had been looking to recruit someone to become and Executive, who works beyond the call, had the right attitude, understood the importance of building relationships and conversation, and had a burning ambition, they chose me. If I said “Yes” they would teach me to be an Executive, a Businessman, If I chose “No’ I could now choose from 2 options, get up and leave, or stay around them spend some time and learn, maybe I would change my mind. (I could not afford to hangout with these guys, this place is too pricey even for my salary). I chose to seize the opportunity after I was fully explained the risk.

The risk was “leave your job and help us build this opportunity”, and if it works you will be at the top of the game, if it fails, you will lose everything, except the experience and our friendship. It failed and I lost exactly almost everything, I did gain an insatiable hunger, and invaluable experience, I felt like I completed a Doctorate in Entrepreneurship, Thinking Big, Leadership and Execution.

The old job was there, I turned it down, I started building my own Company, I wanted to be an enhanced version of these same guys. I kept rubbing shoulders with them 3 times weekly.

One day I looked back and realized that everything changed, my perspective, goals, desires, speech, decisions, friends. My optimism was now permanent, my dress (I bought less party clothing), I ate better food, and less food, I stopped going to many parties, and chose carefully what events I attended, I read more books, I began to think, act and behave like one of them, a CEO/Business Owner. Life felt enriched. My older friends treated me a different respect. Most importantly I became more humble, respectful, open-minded and charged to go every single morning, while attracting International business opportunities and friends.

It came full circle when my first venture needed the services of one of these impeccable gentlemen, and over a drink, we arranged for me to meet his CEO. When I arrived that morning, the way I was greeted was my first instalment into my new world, I led the discussion and terms were accepted and agreed upon. We went out for a drink to celebrate the partnership. My friends were there, I secretly asked if they engineered the deal behind the scene, the answer was “No”. They said it was all me, and they saw no need to help, since they admire how I handle myself, and that they consider me as “One of the Boys”. We don’t hangout every week anymore, but once monthly we connect, sometimes laugh at my growth, and praise and encourage each other along our separate ventures, share trade secrets and tips.

The change was natural, and such an important part of the process to my Success. I now own or partly own 2 International Companies, and lead all group negotiations. My hunger, passion, goals grow with the more I learn. I slipped a couple of times, I look around and see that like in the story of Peter walking on water, I took my eyes off the prize, and strayed mentally into the wrong environment, and quickly adjust my GPS.

Many lessons were learned, many more to learn, success is a journey, I am enjoying mine. I did learn that most important to my success was the people I spent time with, I started reading, speaking, thinking like them, and they were all Successful International Businessmen, I learned that if you focus on your goals and commit to them, the Universe will bring you the right people to help you manifest your vision!”

http://addicted2success.com/success-advice/how-i-changed-my-environment-so-that-i-could-reach-success/

Organize Your To-Do List into These 4 Categories

Don’t let busyness derail your business—prioritize your tasks and weed out distractions.

➽ I’m busy as heck but not getting anywhere. What am I doing wrong?

➽ Entrepreneurs say that staying focused is a huge challenge. So it’s crucial to have an ongoing plan to keep you on track, a written outline that stays within reach and states what you intend to accomplish every day.

I set aside an hour or so every Sunday night to map out my week ahead. What will I focus on first thing Monday? Then on to Tuesday, and so on. Whom do I contact and why? What are my top priorities—no more than three—for the week, and what activities could distract me? The more detailed my calendar, the more prepared and focused I am. Committing my priorities to words focuses me mentally.

Despite that, distractions can still derail you. I often find myself pulled in too many directions—reacting to phone calls, email and other stuff that pops up. The triage method below—touching things only once and then moving on—keeps me from being overwhelmed.

1. Do immediately. If a task feeds my priorities, my time is justified.

2. Delegate. Someone else can and should do these to save me time. Even micro-business owners can benefit from an intern or temp.

3. Drop. I ask myself, Will this make money for me right now or anytime in the future? Does it fulfill my current priorities? If the answer is no, I dump it.

4. Defer. Some items might appeal but aren’t time-sensitive or high-priority. Delay them to a more convenient time.

Jenn Lee, an Orlando, Fla.-based small-business coach, says her biggest time-drain involves dozens of mini-projects each week. “I used to try and squeeze them in between phone calls, emails and posting on Facebook, but there were days when I’d leave my office without accomplishing anything. Something needed to change.”

So Lee sets aside 25-minute blocks of time each day, one for each of three key tasks she must accomplish. “I look at everything I need to do and assign them one of my blocks of time dedicated to that task. I set up three a day, usually two in the morning, when my brain works best on creative things, and one in late afternoon to finish up. Knowing that I have dedicated time to each task means I don’t fret all day over them, and I get better results because I’m focused.”

Another time-sucking aspect of Lee’s business was trying to help clients who, for whatever reason, couldn’t be helped. One client “never did what I advised her to do,” she says. “As a coach, a good part of what drives me is seeing entrepreneurs succeed after gaining clarity and guidance from me. But when I work with someone who isn’t moving forward, it drives me crazy.”

Ultimately Lee told the client she could no longer work with her. “Since then, I am very careful who I work with,” she says. “Before I take on clients, I ask a series of leading questions. Their answers help me see if I will like working with them. Working with the right client saves me time, and time is what we all need to get it all done.” 

http://www.success.com/article/organize-your-to-do-list-into-these-4-categories

How to Overcome the Fear of Success

Entrepreneurs are known for being risk takers. We jump in with both feet knowing we could fail. And when we do fail, it doesn’t keep us from jumping in with both feet again. There is no fear of failure. Failure just means we need to try something different.

Fear of success? Now THAT'S the doozy.

Working with entrepreneurs of all ages, backgrounds and skills over the years, I’ve found there’s only one thing standing in the way of our success. Can you guess what it is? Point at yourself. It’s you. It’s me. It’s us.

We set deadlines, create to-do lists, write marketing plans, network like crazy and tell people about our incredible ideas. Nothing else is in the way of getting us to where we want to go, except self-sabotage -- the pesky excuses why we didn’t get something done, telling ourselves mediocre is good enough or believing that huge goal we set is just too big.  

The person who created the fake list of excuses is the person standing in our way. We can’t blame our families, upbringing, spouses, kids, circumstances or clients. It’s our fault, not theirs. It’s not because we can’t do the big thing; it’s just because we are afraid of the results.

So, what if you ARE successful? You might make a huge difference? Sounds terrible. Oh, not so terrible, huh? Because making a huge difference is what you’re meant to do, what you were created to do,  why you were put on this earth. (Even if it’s a huge difference in one person’s life.)

And I’m pointing at myself while I write this. As I’ve been transitioning my own business over the last two years, I’ve watched others do this and then realized that I too have been putting off the inevitable change. I’ve made excuses. Caused distractions. Staged events that would get in the way of success.

Because I’m terrified of success. Of the overwhelming amount of lives I can change, because I have that power inside of me. So, what if I’m successful? The world might be just that much sweeter because there are other humans out there who are doing what they’re called to do while supporting themselves and helping others. Sounds horrible, huh?

Ask yourself the same questions I’ve been asking myself:

Why am I standing in my own way?

Our pasts have a way of creeping in and being a part of our future. We can be such heavy objects to move out of the way. What do you need to let go of? What words have others said that still fill your mind? 

What does success look like to me?

Success can be an ethereal thing unless we define it. Getting clear on your goals is key to know what success looks like. And it can't be a moving target. Will you hit a certain monetary goal? Will you help a certain number of people? Are there smaller successes along the way you can set to get to your big success?

What happens when I am successful?

It can be a huge release to finally hit success, but what will happen you finally get there? Will you set another goal? Will you celebrate? Will you find a new direction? Will you quit?

Because you will be successful if you decide you’re going to be. Get out of your own way and quit with the excuses.  

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/250583

3 Delightfully Simple Steps to Communicating With Confidence

What would you do if you were asked to describe what you do in less than 30 seconds?

Most of us would think that we know what to say, blurt something out that has been rehearsed in our head several times, (as of course we imagined this moment would come), and end up sounding like an inauthentic robot trying to sell someone on our new business idea.

Awkward!

It is no secret that the majority of entrepreneurs realize the importance of your typical elevator pitch, and use this method as the primary means to talk about their work, explain their role and hopefully obtain some sort of “buy-in” from the person they are engaging in the communication with.

However, as important as what the elevator pitch represents is, its usage has not only tripped Entrepreneurs and Leaders up, but more often than not, the “elevator pitch”, as it is typically taught to be used, does more harm than good.

So how do you communicate what your elevator pitch represents without turning people off and sounding like a machine? Read on below to learn how to communicate with confidence using three simple steps that will help you to be the naturally poised, conversational, glorious business leader that you are.

1. Communication begins before you open your mouth.

Think about it. When we meet someone, we often have an internal sense as to whether or not we are going to like him or her or like what he or she has to say. We use our senses to take in what they wear, their mannerisms, their hair and/or makeup, if their nails are clean, the whole bit!

It is remarkable to think about how often we size people up, and it is totally scary to think that someone else actually does the same to us! So, knowing this helps us to be clear on the kind of image we want to embody in our work and life. Are you a relaxed polo-and-khaki-skirt woman, or are you a formal three-piece suit wealthy investor/entrepreneur?

Both are OK, and both are suitable for different people. The point is to be mindful of these impressions to ensure that the image we portray is consistent with our intention for that image. So now is the time to do some soul searching. Ask yourself, “What does my image communicate about me?”

2. Speak from the heart.

This is not easy unless you have engaged in the deep work to identify how your work intersects with your personal values, passion and purpose in your life. When people ask you what you do, they are less interested in the mechanics of your work than understanding how your work represents you.

For years, this was the biggest mistake I made when communicating about my work as a leadership coach. I used to give the whole formal speech with friends about how my work intersects with culture and even the initiatives of the President! I noticed when people went from listening to tuning out. It became quite comical at times.

So...I made the shift to talking about why my work is important to me and how it represents my passion. With time, follow up questions began to roll. Why is your work important to you? How does it represent the core of who you are?

3. Use your conversation to add value.

Here is where the elevator pitch comes in. Typically, after you have succeeded with the first two steps, people are then listening for “how can you help me?” So, add value by letting them know (authentically)!

You will know you have done this right when the person you are communicating with says, "I have a friend who is looking to get into that field," or “I know someone who I should connect you to.” If neither is applicable, a good ole “That’s awesome” will suffice.

Communicating is not easy, until you are in tune with your authentic self and possess the self-awareness to position your message in a way that adds value. Then something that was once a challenging feat quickly becomes a walk in the park.

How have you added value today?

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249604

Nobody Leads a Charmed Life. Get Over It.

One of the biggest problems up-and-comers face these days is that it’s all too easy to get caught in the trap of “Why isn’t my [career, business, life … fill in the blank] going as well as that guy’s?” After all, thinking you’re getting the short end of the stick can be a real bummer.

The great irony is, I seriously doubt if anyone else really is doing better or having an easier time of it than you, unless of course they have outstanding talent, really worked for it, and deserve their success. In that case, it’s not exactly a valid comparison, now is it?

Truth is, nobody leads a charmed life, least of all those who say they do, look like they do, or come across like they do. Let me improve your perspective by exposing an incredibly sticky and persistent myth, the myth of the success story.

The Myth of Privilege  

If you look at the Forbes list of richest Americans, you’ll see a bunch of Walton’s and Mars’s of Wal-Mart and Mars candy fame. So yes, we know that some people are born with privilege and inherited a boatload of dough. That’s not myth, but what is a myth is the assumption that they actually have a better life as a result.

How many times have you said, “I wish I had his money?” Well, research by the National Endowment for Financial Education estimates that 70 percent of those who come into large sums of money go broke within seven years. And a 2010 university study concluded that, the more money you win playing the lottery, the more likely you are to end up bankrupt.

From an anecdotal standpoint, I’ve known a large number of successful people, most of whom earned it the hard way but some of whom were raised by wealthy families, and those who went further in their careers and were happiest with their lives were the former, not the latter. That’s because we value what we work for, not what’s handed to us. And that affects our self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-respect.

Take Sting, for example. He grew up in a working-class family in Newcastle, had a pretty rough time of it, and got out as soon as he could. Although the world-renowned musician has amassed a $300 million fortune, he’s taught his six children the importance of work ethic and succeeding on their own merits, and he’s stated publicly that he won’t leave them a penny because he thinks financial security ruins people. He’s right. It does.

Now take another look at the Forbes list – particularly the top five – and tell me what you see. That’s right, you see Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg. Granted, Gates and Zuckerberg had well-off parents, but they all were successful because they were remarkably talented and worked their tails off at what they did best. With the possible exception of Ellison, they were actually all nerds who were passionate about their work. 

The Myth of the Perfect Persona

There’s little doubt that our own obsession with social media, blogging, personal branding, and user-generated content has done more to propagate the insidious myth that others have it better than you than anything else.

These days, everyone’s a CEO, a serial entrepreneur, an investor, or some sort of leader. Everyone claims to be a best-selling author, award-winning keynote speaker, successful former athlete, growth hacker, or social-media guru. But when you dig a little deeper you find that most of that self-promotion is completely fabricated or at least highly exaggerated and questionable.

There’s a reason why numerous studies have shown that Facebook and other social media sites make us miserable or at least dissatisfied with our own lives relative to those of others. It’s simple, really. Our online personas are more reflective of our narcissistic culture and grandiose egos than of who we are in real life. 

Our online profiles are more likely to be conjured up out of popular sound bites than what we truly spend our days doing for a living. And our family lives are always Pleasant Valley Sunday wonderful. We all have the most beautiful wives, wonderful husbands, talented kids, and extraordinary lives.

If you really want to know the truth about what we post online, it’s that 99 percent of it is 1 percent real, and I bet the reverse is also true. I would bet that 99 percent of what happens in our daily lives never sees the light of a Facebook page, tweet, LinkedIn update, blog post, Instagram picture, YouTube video, or text message.

If you think others have it better than you, think again. You’re comparing yourself to 99 percent BS. Nobody leads a charmed life. Life is never easy and always what you make of it. And that’s the truth.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249051

10 Behaviors of Unstoppable Entrepreneurs

Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy. It requires the kinds of habits that most people simply don’t have, along with a discipline, passion and dedication that are unmatched among non-business owners. And while every entrepreneur is different, we all have a lot in common -- including many of the same habits.

Here are 10 behaviors shared by unstoppable entrepreneurs:

1. They plan their day in advance.

In business, it’s easy to let other people’s priorities run your day. Phone calls, emails, appointments, meetings -- it never ends. Unstoppable entrepreneurs plan their day in advance, before the mayhem begins. But they don’t just make any old plan -- they make sure to block out time for their most important priorities.

2. They get proper nutrition and exercise.

This simply can’t be overstated. Being a productive, unstoppable entrepreneur is about your body just as much as your mind and will. If you don’t take care of your nutrition and daily exercise, you aren’t going to be at your best -- and you definitely won’t be unstoppable. Drink a lot of water, eat breakfast and get your body moving. You’ll be much more successful as a result.

3. They position themselves to serve.

Those who focus only on their own success are the ones who don’t succeed at all. To be effective as a business owner, you need to serve your customers. That might come through in the way your products make their lives easier or the way your customer service efforts delight them. Whatever the case may be, setting service as one of your top priorities is a surefire way to become unstoppable.

4. They set clear goals.

Every unstoppable entrepreneur has clear goals. Knowing your goals will keep you going when things get tough and give you something to focus on when you’re not sure what to do next. But your goals shouldn’t just focus on the long term. Have long-term, mid-term and short-term goals. Doing so allows you to plan your days and weeks with unmatched focus, knowing exactly what you’re shooting for.

5. They take calculated risks.

People have an image of entrepreneurs as those who take crazy risks just for fun. But while the risks we take may be crazy to those without an entrepreneurial mind, in reality, they’re calculated. Or, at least, they should be. If you’re the type of business owner who jumps in without knowing the numbers and probabilities behind your course of action, you won’t last long. 

6. They know their strengths and weaknesses.

Successful business owners are honest with themselves. They know their own strengths and weaknesses, and take them into account with every business decision. It takes humility to really examine yourself this way, but it will pay great dividends when you know exactly who to hire, who to partner with and what skills you can offer.

7. They hire A-team players.

Entrepreneurs that don’t succeed are often those who are afraid to have A-team players on their staffs. They either feel threatened or they won’t offer the incentives needed to hire the best. Either way, they lose. To be an unstoppable entrepreneur, you’ve got to hire the best. Focus on those who fill in whatever gaps you currently have. Doing so will help you create the amazing team that’s needed for success.

8. They are constantly learning.

Unstoppable entrepreneurs know that they don’t know it all. As a result, they never stop learning. Never get so busy that you stop investing in yourself and your knowledge of business, your industry and new technology. Staying up to date is essential if you want to succeed.

9. They are always looking for opportunities.

Entrepreneurs who are really successful don’t rest on their current successes. They realize that life changes quickly, and that business moves at an even faster pace. To be unstoppable, always be on the lookout for your next opportunity. Spot new trends in your industry, or look for a new application of an old tool. You’ll never get stuck in the old when you make it a priority to watch out for the new.

10. They evaluate their actions and priorities each day.

Successful entrepreneurs know that with every day, they’re building their futures. That’s why they rarely let one go by without doing a review. When you review your accomplishments at the end of each day, you’ll be able to celebrate the successes, as well as address the shortfalls. It’s a great practice to begin right away.

As I said earlier, being an unstoppable entrepreneur is no easy feat. If it was easy, everyone would be one. Instead, only a few have the privilege of calling themselves entrepreneurs. If you want to join this exclusive club, make it a priority to practice these 10 behaviors of unstoppable entrepreneurs.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/246246

Successful Entrepreneurs Do These 5 Things Daily

There is a saying that there are only three types of people in the world: those who watch what happened, those who wonder what happened and those who make things happen. 

Entrepreneurs fall into the last category, of course. They are change agents, people who don’t see the world as it is but as it could be. Entrepreneurs don’t sit on the sidelines and wish for a better world. Rather they go out and create it. They don’t wait for things to be different. They are the difference.

Being forward thinkers, entrepreneurs continually push themselves to become better and do better. They are game changers. They ooze confidence and inspire greatness.

Today is a great day to become an entrepreneur because the price of admission into this elite club is free and yours for the taking.

Do you really want to succeed as an entrepreneur? Follow these five steps and you’ll be well on your way to developing the leadership qualities it takes:

1. Willingly fail and reflect. “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better,” goes Samuel Beckett's line. It's not always easy, the trying again part.

Another important thing is taking time to reflect on what went wrong. In the book The Call of Solitude, Ester Schaler Buchholz says, “Others inspire us, information feeds us, practice improves our performance, but we need quiet time to figure things out.”

In his book, Fail Up, radio broadcaster Tavis Smiley recalls lessons he has learned through reflection. He sheds light on these so-called failures that were, in hindsight, his best teachers.

You’ll only learn by failing over and over again. When you do this, you’re able to grow. And in spite of life’s inevitable setbacks, you’ll come out the victor

2. Embrace and confront your fears. According to author Brendon Burchard, fear can be categorized in three ways, which all relate to pain. The first is loss pain, which happens when you’re afraid to move ahead because you fear you’ll lose something valuable.

The second is process pain, which inevitably occurs every time you try something new. You have to go through the process of learning to deal with it.

The last is outcome pain. This involves not getting the outcome you desired.

Burchard insists that people need to overwhelm their fears. Just as an army invades its enemy from every side, a person should do the same with fear, attacking it from every side, as if going to war. 

For Shark Tank host Barbara Corcoran, public speaking was her Achilles' heel. But she overcame it by going to war. She volunteered to teach a real estate night course in front of a small group of students to overcome her fear.

3. Practice self-discipline. This is the ability to delay instant gratification and the ability to work hard now to reap benefits later. When Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx was a boy, his grandmother routinely made him take piano lessons even though all he wanted to do was go outside to play. He had no idea that those lessons would lead to his eventual success. To this day, he continues to hone his craft and disciplines himself to practice playing the piano for two hours many a day.

No one sees the years of hard work you might put into an endeavor. They only see the outcome. If you want to reap the rewards of tomorrow, you must put in the work today.

4. Get some sleep. Shortly after the debut of her eponymous news site, Arianna Huffington collapsed from exhaustion and lack of sleep. She’d been working 18-hour days because she was so committed to growing her company. When she collapsed, she hit her head against a desk and found herself lying in a pool of blood.

In her book Thrive, Huffington details the ordeal and says it was a painful wake-up call. She knew she had neglected sleep and took steps to correct it.

When you get the sleep you need, you’ll feel more energized, charged and ready to tackle any problem entrepreneurship throws your way.

5. Give to others. In his book, Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, Wharton Business School professor Adam Grant teaches the idea of generosity in a professional setting. 

For centuries, people have focused on the individual drivers of success: passion, hard work and sheer will. But things have changed. Success is increasingly dependent on how we interact with others and how much we give them.

According to Grant’s research, the most successful people are those who consistently give. Grant takes this to heart so much that he not only puts in long hours as a professor, but also as many and sometimes even longer hours giving and helping others. 

That ancient book, the Bible, was right all along: Happiness comes from giving.  

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234052

How to Make a Really Tough Business Decision

Follow these few questions to help you make a tough business decision. Each one is a hurdle. Jump over each one and you have a clearer path to success.

Souffles or pancakes? The green Mercedes or the white one? Vacation in Tahoe or swing out to Las Vegas and play golf instead? OK, some decisions in life are not that hard. You get to pick from two good options. What if you are faced with firing your accountant who also happens to be your best friend from college? Or how do you decide if you should make a big splash at a local startup accelerator or play things closer to the chest?

As many of us learned from the Freakonomics guys in their last book, the pro/con list doesn't always work. We tend to favour one side or the other and stack the deck. (With apologies to my dad who told me to use this method, it's also a little too simplistic.)

Instead, I'd ask yourself a series of tough questions and spend some time thinking about the actual outcome. Does your friend need to be fired? Does going public mean you can find investment dollars faster? With any tough business decision, start by sitting down, shutting out distractions, and really diving into the issue full bore.

Here are a few questions to get you started...

1. Is it practical?

In my experience, most business decisions you make have to pass the most crucial litmus test of all: you have to decide if the decision is practical or not. Keep in mind that you should pursue some ideas that are not practical, and it's even a good idea to think outside of the box, but it's always (always!) a good idea to think about whether something makes practical sense or could be considered frivolous. And, you have to start by defining what "practical" even means: it's the actual "use or doing" of something as opposed to a theory. It has to make sense. It has to be workable.

2. Is it achievable?

Maybe you've decided this new business decision does fit within the scope of your business. Good! Now you have to decide if it is achievable. Remember, you probably don't have the resources of Elon Musk (unless you actually are Elon Musk). You have to decide, given the resources if the decision is even within the realm of possibility.

3. Is it measurable?

In college, I learned the MAP concept. Is the idea Measurable, Attainable, and Practical? We covered the last two already (practical and attainable), but that first one can be a bugger. Let's say you want to expand overseas. OK, that seems nice. Company paid trips to France! Air five on that one, right? But hold on for a second. If you do expand, can you measure the success? Is there a way to crunch the numbers and really determine if things panned out? Expansion is fairly easy to measure, but how about firing that accountant? If you keep him or her on the payroll, will it be easier to measure the results? If you stay in stealth mode, can you control your product easier? Do a sanity check on any decision to make sure you can measure it.

4. Will it require a major time investment?

I usually like to evaluate a decision based on the time involved. It's a precious commodity. Honestly, business dollars come and go. You might be rich one day and poor the next. But time? Once you use it up, it's gone forever. Make sure you know how much you have to spend. If the decision will consume too much time, skip it.

5. Will the decision help others? Will it harm others?

A decision might be good for the company, not take too much of your time, and meet the other criteria I've listed here, but it's also important to decide if this is something that will benefit society. Is it good for you and good for others? I've read about many entrepreneurs who ultimately decided to make a big decision not for the financial rewards but mostly because it was going to help society. When I profiles Cruise Automation recently, I came to the conclusion that the company really is motivated to do something profound for society. It wasn't all about money. In the end, money doesn't really give you lasting satisfaction anyway, it just helps you buy a nicer car.

6. Will you be able to maintain your integrity?

That's right, some decisions might seem practical and even necessary but they might be morally suspect. You know what? The decision will come back to bite you anyway. When you maintain your integrity and decide against something that most people would say is objectionable, even if it seems like you might get away with it and benefit somehow, you'll be happier. You can live with yourself. And, by the way, so can everyone around you. No one likes to be around someone who lacks integrity.

6. What is the stress factor?

There's one last criterion to keep in mind. Maybe you have made it this far through the questions and decided to pursue that new widget or launch a new marketing campaign. Before you pull the lever, ask one final question about how much stress the decision will cause. As a writer, I deal with this last question quite often because I know stress takes time and zaps my mental energy. When I go ahead with a decision that will cause stress, I always try to find a way to drop out of other responsibilities and prepare for the eventual mental fallout. You can check off every question on this list and feel like you have a green light, and then realize you can't handle the stress. That's a good time to head to a local coffee shop, stretch out, and postpone the decision for a while. Go buy the white Mercedes instead.

http://www.inc.com/john-brandon/how-to-make-a-really-tough-business-decision.html