Mindset Hacks for Your Entrepreneurial Journey Get your mind right and your business will follow.
By Jon Michail
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Leadership is not just a position or a title given by an organization. It is a mindset. If the COVID-19 pandemic has been of any value, the lesson is that we need to drive our lives toward becoming as self-reliant as possible. The future is unpredictable, and the times are unprecedented, but the one certainty that can help you take the lead in your life, and not let circumstances dictate your decisions, is that building in service to values, mission and purpose will drive entrepreneurship more successfully than a quest for money.
Center yourself for success
Fear is a limiting belief. It stops us from creating. When we are functioning in fear, which is usually about money, our primal instinct is survival, not creation, but while it can be a challenge not to feel anxious or afraid, the more we let fear dictate our lives, the more we drift from purpose.
To center oneself in mind, body and spirit is a revolution against a system that instills fear and curbs creative headspace. Part of centering is to understand that the subconscious mind creates our life. Many things add to the subconscious, like conditioning from childhood and life experiences, but it is essential to stay in touch with one's mind now by asking questions that challenge our beliefs.
Have you ever caught yourself doing something that you promised yourself you will not do? We often work antithetical to our goals or ignore actions that will take us further, and many of us, for example, procrastinate, which is often the result of fearing failure. In these instances, asking oneself about the root cause of our worry and limiting beliefs will help to defeat and, instead, encourage one to stay in a flow state, performing at high levels without detrimental self-doubt.
Related: 5 Ways to Rewire Your Brain to Be Positive
Live with "aliveness"
This is how the subconscious mind works, so asking questions and keeping the curiosity alive is a great practice to encourage a creative mindset.
The recent pandemic has also created a boom in start-ups. With several layoffs, and some even quitting their 9 to 5 jobs in search of a better quality of life, many have been driven toward a purpose-driven entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship gives one control of life and decentralizes from a system that does not care for individual growth or purpose. Entrepreneurship helps to create and fulfill one's destiny. And, more than anything else, it provides an opportunity to embrace and live with "aliveness," with mind, body and soul aligned toward one purpose. So long as you are not operating from fear and functioning to create, innovate and challenge, you will be in charge of your destiny. The rising number of entrepreneurs reveals this.
Follow your purpose
When one is ready to let go of the fear and actively create one's destiny, aligning the subconscious with the pursuit of life-changing entrepreneurship, certain steps are beneficial. Defining one's purpose, for instance, is imperative. Often, in our drive to deliver results to someone else's business, we can lose sight of our dreams and visions. So think about why you do what you do and define your purpose in life. Knowing your "why" will help you get inspired to take action towards your endeavors as an entrepreneur. It will keep you grounded and will help you maintain a healthy tunnel vision for your journey.
Defining your values is also important. Your values make you the unique person you are. Your values drive your purpose, so embody your values and show up with them every day.
Finally, create a mission statement. Think about your purpose, the value required to drive it and how you can get there. Your mission statement will help to make your day-to-day decisions more manageable. It will help you to assess your preferences and solidify your mindset, so that the choices you make today will get you closer to your purpose, especially when making decisions under pressure, where judgments can become cloudy.
Grounding yourself to your purpose, values, and mission can help you to forge the path to your entrepreneurial destiny.
Related: Why a Purpose-Driven Mission Is Key to Motivating Millennials
