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Mike Rowe: Why Entrepreneurs Crave the 'Reverse Commute' It's all about mindset. Do you think like an entrepreneur?

By Jason Fell

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

What exactly is the "reverse commute"? It has a little something to do with the entrepreneur mindset.

"I've never met an entrepreneur who's struck me as totally sane," says Dirty Jobs star Mike Rowe. "They're not normal."

Rowe knows a thing or two about entrepreneurs, having worked alongside countless business owners on Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs. He's back at the dirty grind, this time starring in CNN's Somebody's Gotta Do It, which airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.

Rowe says successful entrepreneurs crave the reverse commute, meaning they see the path that everyone else is taking and they blaze their own trail instead.

"The well-worn path is a thing that provides sane people -- classically sane people -- with a measure of comfort. The comfort is born of certainty," Rowe says. "The entrepreneur sees the exact same thing and concludes something altogether different. Too many people have gone this way. Whatever's there, I'm not going to find it."

Even if the new path isn't a shortcut, even if it means going against the flow, a true entrepreneur will prefer it as it is his or her own. "There's a hard-headed, recessive gene in most successful entrepreneurs that I adore," he says.

For more on Rowe's thoughts on the entrepreneur mindset, check out the short video above.

Related:

Mike Rowe: Don't Pursue Your Passion. Chase Opportunity.

Mike Rowe on His Facebook Obsession, Working Hard and Singing Opera

Jason Fell

VP, Native Content

Jason Fell is the VP of Native Content, managing the Entrepreneur Partner Studio, which creates dynamic and compelling content for our partners. He previously served as Entrepreneur.com's managing editor and as the technology editor prior to that.

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