What if an Entrepreneur Fails?

I have come to think that one of the pre-requisites of an entrepreneur is a string of failed business ventures or at the very least a number of years of business struggle. I move in a circle of entrepreneurs and I know that many of them have at least one failure under their belt and mostly have a number of very lean years to their credit before they reach the pinnacle of success.  I would never call any failed venture a failure – it is an opportunity to get back up again and have another go.  In the words of Confucius, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”.  And that is the difference between an entrepreneur and everybody else.  They get back up and try again until they do succeed and they take the lessons from that experience with them.  I think that it was Winston Churchill who said that successful people are prepared to carry on with enthusiasm (not just carry on) when they do not succeed.

This all points to the fact that entrepreneurs hold a particular attitude. And almost anything that you read on this subject will say that.  An entrepreneur believes that they will be successful, they create an aura of success around themselves and they take a very positive attitude towards achieving success. Of course they do a lot of other things as well, but they hold a positive, optimistic view of the world and their ability to do what they want to do.  They move in a circle of like-minded people and they take the necessary action to keep their positive mindset.

I grant you that is not easy when being bombarded by negative input on a daily basis, yet if you wish to succeed as an entrepreneur it is something that you must do. So here are a few pointers in how to get started with creating your positive attitude:-

• Put your attention on being positive and looking for other positive people.  Within a very short time you will start to hear your own words and those of others and you will identify the positive and negative tone.
• Take a little time out of your busy day to write down what you are thinking about in terms of optimism or pessimism.  Check in with yourself to see if you feel positive.  Do this at least once per day and keep your focus on seeking optimism.
• Find a test for optimism versus pessimism – positive versus negative and see how you rate.  Do this test regularly to see if you are shifting.
• Actively seek out positive things about people or situations and then thank someone for what they have done.  As you continue this process, soon you will be thinking more about the positive and less about the negative.
• Make an effort and send people a written message of thanks.  This makes you think about positives about that person  Send five of these a day for a while and keep up the practice.  People might be a little shy of it at first, but I know people who have kept every one of my notes!
• Go out of your way to help people and be surprised at how good that feels.  Such help will take you outside of yourself and let you see the good in others.  As you get repaid for your kindness, you will see more and more good in others and the world at large.  And become more and more positive.
• Start to associate more and more with those people who are positive, listen to how they talk and the words that they use.  Try it and see how it works for you.
• Finally, read some good personal development material, so that you can keep going.   Inspire yourself on a daily basis.  Try The Gratitude Effect by Dr John Demartini as a starter.

I will finish this piece with a lovely quote from actress Mary Pickford “You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not falling down, but staying down.”