What secret made Bill Gates the richest man in the world? Was Aliko Dangote; the richest black man in the world born to be an entrepreneur? How did Oprah Winfrey become a talk show billionaire and richest black woman in the world which other talk show hosts battle with mediocrity? How come the most successful entrepreneurs in the world are drop out billionaires? What separates the 50 year olds who are still struggling to live on a $50,000 salary from the young billionaires who are in their 20s and 30s? This article will provide an answer to all the questions asked above.Quite a number of times, we have heard the phrase that “entrepreneurship is a calling”. I think there’s an atom of truth in that statement. Entrepreneurship is a call to self actualization; a call to serve and improve the well being of humanity. Now every human being on earth has a calling; a specific purpose why he/she was created but it takes focus and spiritual understanding to discover that purpose.[sws_blockquote_endquote align=”left” quotestyle=”style02″]Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They never dare to try.[/sws_blockquote_endquote]
Now what’s the secret of the most successful entrepreneurs?
The answer to this question is simple. The most successful entrepreneurs simply discovered their purpose; found their entrepreneurial spirit and stayed true to their calling.
Finding the entrepreneurial spirit made Oprah Winfrey, the richest talk show host. It’s this same entrepreneurial spirit that propelled Christopher Columbus to embark on the voyage that changed the world. It’s this same entrepreneurial spirit that kept Larry Ellison going even after dropping out of college twice; same goes with Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Ingvar Kamprad, Orji Uzor Kalu, Steve Jobs and Richard Branson.
[sws_blockquote_endquote align=”left” quotestyle=”style02″]It isn’t until you come to a spiritual understanding of who you are – not necessarily a religious feeling, but deep down the spirit within – that you can begin to take control.[/sws_blockquote_endquote]The same entrepreneurial spirit is responsible for the tremendous success of Andrew Carnegie, Ray Kroc, Debbi Fields, Mary Kay Ash, Cosmos Maduka, Henry Ford and Li Ka Shing; despite their lack of formal education.
General Electric and Wal-Mart remain relevant today because they are still being guided by the entrepreneurial spirit of their founders; Thomas Edison and Sam Walton respectively. This same entrepreneurial spirit kept Ingvar Kamprad and Warren Buffett in the game even in old age.
[sws_blockquote_endquote align=”left” quotestyle=”style02″]I get to do what I like to do every single day of the year.[/sws_blockquote_endquote]So if the entrepreneurial spirit is vital to success in business; how can you awaken this spirit? Without wasting much of your time, below are seven steps you can take to awaken your entrepreneurial spirit.
Develop your Mindset
[sws_blockquote_endquote align=”left” quotestyle=”style02″]I like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big.[/sws_blockquote_endquote]Awakening your entrepreneurial spirit begins with development of your mindset. If you are not in the right mindset; if you lack the right perception, your entrepreneurial spirit will remain dormant. The entrepreneurial spirit thrives in a body with the right attitude and you have to be a positive thinker to harness the power of the entrepreneurial spirit.
You must also develop your mind to see opportunities where others see problems; and above all, you must change your perception towards challenges and failure. You must see problems as a stepping stone, not as a stumbling block.
[sws_blockquote_endquote align=”left” quotestyle=”style02″]Someone asked me, ‘how can I find a good business opportunity?’ I replied, ‘go and look for adversity’. If you can handle adversity, you will find opportunity. Adversity and opportunity are two inseparable twins.[/sws_blockquote_endquote]Develop your Self Belief
The next step to awakening your entrepreneurial spirit is to develop a strong believe in yourself. Without self belief, you entrepreneurial spirit will never manifest.
[sws_blockquote_endquote align=”left” quotestyle=”style02″]Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember you can achieve.[/sws_blockquote_endquote]Follow Your Instinct
[sws_blockquote_endquote align=”left” quotestyle=”style02″]Follow your instincts, that’s where true wisdom manifest itself.[/sws_blockquote_endquote]I came to realize the power of my instinct after reading Felix Dennis’s book “How to be Rich”. In that book, Felix Dennis explained that your instinct is that goose pimples that form on your body whenever you come across a potential business opportunity; it’s the excitement and the “let’s do it” voice inside your heart.
[sws_blockquote_endquote align=”left” quotestyle=”style02″]Screw it, let’s do it.[/sws_blockquote_endquote]You must train yourself to understand yourself. You should know when your instinct is giving you a nudge to forge ahead; you should learn to obey your instinct. When Richard Branson was presented with the airline business idea; he followed his instinct and started Virgin Atlantic despite the glaring fact that he would be going head to head against the giant British Airways. Today, VIRGIN is a worldwide recognized brand.
Christopher Columbus followed his instinct to embark on the voyage and he discovered America. Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison and Richard Branson all followed their instinct and dropped out of school. Today, they are the world’s celebrated drop out billionaires.
Learn to take Risk; it is part of the game
Risky ventures forces the entrepreneurshipideas into manifestation. I have seen men break barriers where others think the game is over.
When everyone had the perception that the world was flat; Christopher Columbus took the risk to sail around the world and bumped into America. When everyone said it was impossible for humans to fly; the Wright brothers held on to their dreams and took the risk to fly the first airplane.
Virgin Atlantic was a risk; Microsoft’s windows was a risk, Oracle was a risk and so also was Dell. As a last note, I want it to sink into your skull that the entrepreneurshipideas thrives on risk.
Embrace Competition
[sws_blockquote_endquote align=”left” quotestyle=”style02″]When somebody challenges you, fight back. Be brutal, be tough.[/sws_blockquote_endquote]Just as the entrepreneurshipideas thrives on risk; so also does it thrive in a competitive environment. Most people shy away from building a business because of the competition involved; they don’t dare to undergo the entrepreneurial process because of the business challenges.
If you must awaken your entrepreneurship spirit; then you must be willing to face competition. In fact, you must be willing to seek it out just like Richard Branson and Larry Ellison.
Take action
[sws_blockquote_endquote align=”left” quotestyle=”style02″]You have to act and act now.[/sws_blockquote_endquote]All your dreams, aspirations and ambition will be in vain if you don’t take action. The entrepreneuriship ideas manifests itself in the doing phase; not the planning or dreaming phase. If you want to awaken your spirit; then start the entrepreneurial process and build a business.
The business challenges involved in the entrepreneurial process will force your spirit into action.
[sws_blockquote_endquote align=”left” quotestyle=”style02″]And obviously from our own personal point of view, the principal challenge is a personal challenge.[/sws_blockquote_endquote]Entrepreneurial Learning
Entrepreneurs are not born with talent, they mold themselves in that way. If you hate your boss, well its a good reason to become a successful entrepreneur.Successful business ideas are not impossible to think of or bring to realilty. The impossible can only become possible if you see your quality of hard work to create a successful business. This is after all your life so take it seriously. you won’t get another one to correct your mistakes.
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