You Have Nothing To Lose (And Everything To Gain) By Putting Yourself Out There If you want to try something new, you have to get out of your comfort zone.
By Abdulla Barakji •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
You're here because you want to learn about entrepreneurship. Maybe you have some doubts about your idea or don't know where to start. Maybe you're doubting the idea of starting a business. You're already thinking about it. You know you want to be your own boss. Sooner or later you will wake up one morning and say that you want to start your own business. Even if you don't want to, you will think of how your life would change if you owned a business. What's stopping you? Is it lack of capital? Not having an original idea? Or a good way to communicate that idea? Fear?
If you want to try something new, you have to get out of your comfort zone. Set aside some time every day from your free time and brainstorm. You will never hear self-made millionaires say it was easy, but they will always say that you should believe in yourself, and more importantly, that you need to take risks. This doesn't mean that you have to quit your job and go all in. A popular saying that rings true? If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
What will you lose if you try launching your startup and it doesn't work out? You either succeed or you learn from the experience of not succeeding- absorbing new methods and gaining insight into what didn't work is also a type of success. Invest in your time and work hard on formulating a working business plan. Maybe you'll lose some time reaching that stage, but you will gain something much more valuable in return: hard market know-how that you can only gain from trying.
I have talked about networking before, and how it changed my way of thinking. When I started networking, I didn't think of what I would lose, but instead what I could gain from it. I had a lot of free time and I utilized it to get the most benefit, from a business perspective. Go out and start meeting people, look for opportunities, understand your surroundings.
When I first contacted Entrepreneur Middle East, I knew I had nothing to lose so I went for it. When I started my online magazine, I also had nothing to lose, so I also went for it. Now, I'm working on another two startups simultaneously with my current projects and holding down a day job- all because I know for a fact that I'll learn something new if anything doesn't go according to plan. With all that happening, I still have time for family and friends.
If you're passionate about what you do, you will always find a way. Better yet, you won't work a day in your life. You do what you do because you enjoy it. You worked hard to get to where you are. Why stop there? Take the next step and get out of your comfort zone.
Life is full of uncertainty whether you like it or not. Learn to live with it. Do your part and hope for the best. You shouldn't live life wondering might have been had you picked up the phone and made that first cold call.
Only you can determine your success in life. If you believe in yourself and you're committed to what you do, you are certain to go a long way. Keep all the negative thoughts out of your head, and surround yourself with positive people. Entrepreneurship is a lot of work and a rollercoaster of emotions. Get out a pen and paper. Start writing, and then start doing.
