Entrepreneur Success: A look at the ego, and how to let go!
Speaking from experience, in order for me to achieve success I had to let go of my ego. I had this belief, that in order for me to become successful, I firstly had to do everything on my own accord, to be a one-man-band. Secondly, that the ideas all had to come from me, that they should be original so I could “claim” them. And finally, the biggest hurdle for me, was to learn to admit that sometimes I didn’t know best (ouch that hurt!).
In my mind I thought “I’m not allowed to be wrong… you don’t see the successful entrepreneurs getting it wrong do you?” Actually, I soon learned that they do. Look at Thomas Edison, for example, when inventing the light bulb he had something like 1000 “ways of not to do it” until he found the right way. If he hadn’t admitted that he was wrong those times, we would all still be sitting in darkness!
So, this is a chance for all “Learner” entrepreneurs, and probably some experienced ones to put down the ego and walk freely to success! Here are three things to let go of:
1. DIY (DO IT YOURSELF) – For some reason, I had it in my head that the truly successful entrepreneurs did everything on their own. I believe I thought this because when you hear about their successes, you just hear their names not a list of helpers. What I realised, after much research, they have teams that help them out. Delegation is the key – do the things you want and find the best people for the rest. A great book to read is “The E-Myth” by Michael Gerber.
LESSON ONE: Delegate duties and positions so you can focus on the evolution and growth of your business. You don’t see Oprah sitting on MYOB doing her accounts, she has the experts doing it for her – find your experts.
2. Idea’s were all mine, or not at all – Umm… yeah, was I stubborn or what! That little ego would pop up it’s head, anytime someone suggested an improvement on my ideas and I would become defensive. Once I realised my ideas and growth wouldn’t get anywhere until I embraced other people’s ideas – the growth was exponential. Anytime I heard suggestions or criticisms, I thought – how could this make my business better? With that attitude – you only have one direction for success, and that is up!
LESSON TWO: Open up, allow for other ideas to be suggested. Use the information to better your idea, or business system.
3. Right first off, otherwise therefore I am a failure – Something to be very aware of is giving up after your first attempt doesn’t work. This mindset is the mindset of someone who will actually never make it – yes, they may try something new over and over, but what they don’t do is commit, persist and determine to be successful. That is what is key – and after all be open to what your failures bring. A lot of successful inventions began as a completely different intention. If you look up the Slinky or Popsicle or even Silly Putty, they all were “failures” for another idea, but became successes in their own right.
LESSON THREE: Ideas are organic, through trial and error, suggestions and natural progression; it will evolve into whatever it is meant to be.
With the ego left behind and a focus on success – you will be on your way through a fantastic journey. Once I focused on my goal of being financially free – rather than HOW it was going to happen, the evolution of ideas became more natural and more free flowing. Resistance was gone and I embraced ideas and suggestions coming from every angle. If you can just take these three things into consideration – you will be amazed at the success that will be just around the corner.
Tags: Investments