Understanding yourself & having passion – key ingredients to successful entrepreneurship

By Dr Vijay Bahadur

Knowing yourself can and will give you a competitive edge, not over other people, but in your execution. So we ask the question: Who are you?

Who you are is a multifaceted question, the answer to which should also reveal your answer to the questions: why are you here?, what are your grateful for?, should you be helping others? and should you start a business or be employed?

The next question is: what do you want from life and what is your driving force? In short, what makes you tick? When you have identified what it is that makes you tick, using that knowledge to formulate a personal mission statement or personal plan can be of particular assistance on your road to achieving success. In my personal experience, my self-knowledge has helped me develop strategies that have served me well in my business dealings.

Passion may well be the most important quality in anyone striving for success. Passion is defined as a powerful emotion and to be passionate is to exhibit strong enthusiasm or interest. Passion for a subject or project is what will keep you trying over and over in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, working harder and smarter and keeping you committed to staying the course. Without passion your success “wish list” will remain just that.

If, as you are reading this you find that you are passionless about your business or job, it is time to either get passionate about what you are doing or rethink where you are at. Without passion your pursuits become meaningless, but when you pursue something you are passionate about, you both expect and give more. My experiences have taught me that while having passion for money is good, having passion for what money can do for you is even better, and it is what will make you the ultimate entrepreneur.

Succeeding is difficult and succeeding with nothing is even more so. Your passion is what will pull you through when things are not going your way.

My definition of an entrepreneur extends beyond the mere taking on of financial risks and opening a business. You can exhibit entrepreneurial spirit even as you sit behind a desk working for a boss. A true entrepreneur, in my opinion, is someone who is a tough and innovative out-of-the-box thinker, they are comfortable with themselves, they have the ability to sell, they know which battles to fight and stay the distance and, of course, every true entrepreneur is a cash flow guru. 

How to become a Top Entrepreneur: -

 Visualize
 Never stop learning
 Spend money to make money
 Dress the part
 Employ a mentor / success coach
 Become an expert
 Believe in your product and /or service
 Don’t kill yourself to make a living
 Don’t stand on the sidelines – take the plunge!

Analyse yourself, get to know who you are and understand who you are dealing with. Knowing yourself will make it easier to achieve your objectives and prepare you for the often cut throat world of business.

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