Hooray! You’re Not Crazy, You’re an Entrepreneur!

“You already do so much, you have a great job, benefits, why on earth would you want to start your own business?” My answer came easy. "I want more."

Now that might sound a bit greedy but me wanting more in many ways is not based on a vision of how I can grow rich, become famous or achieve world domination. It’s more about quenching this burning desire to simply be the best me, that I can be. To be in charge of my own income and chart my own course. It’s a feeling that has burned within me from childhood.

Many entrepreneurs can attest that this desire, this need to step outside of the proverbial box of, get a degree, work at building someone else’s dream and sail off into retirement wonderland, started quite young.

They may have started selling old toys, or found creative ways to make money and even though many of us, initially entered the traditional workforce, that desire never went away.

Also contrary to popular belief, many entrepreneurs are not solely driven by money or fame, but by a desire to make the world a better place. Many of us want to succeed for purely altruistic reasons, so we persevere, we press through and we work hard in spite of the many obstacles.

Truth be told, many days we feel like we’re on an emotional roller-coaster, we’re second guessing our every decision. Our close friends are rolling their eyes at us and thinking, not another project, not another business idea.

Sometimes even our partners, our family, have a hard time believing that we will one day succeed. Hell, many days we have a hard time believing it ourselves!

Ultimately when success does come and we’re clinking glasses and beaming with pride, nodding “I told you so’s” in people’s faces, we sometimes fail to tell of those days when we wondered if we were totally and completely insane! Truth be told, this feeling never really ever goes away.

I recently saw this image posted by Derek Halpern founder of Social Triggers, an expert marketer and entrepreneur which describes the entrepreneurial roller-coaster perfectly!

I would bet that many an entrepreneur can relate to this for when Derek posted this on his Facebook page, the feedback was crazy! No pun intended!

As Entrepreneurs, we can all attest to having moments when we feel completely exhilarated! That contract has come through, the product launch was a major success, we’re fist pumping and high-fiving ourselves to death, but soon enough the feeling wears off and we’re wondering whether we should call our boss crying and beg for our old jobs back!

The cycle can be truly nerve racking, but on the days when we are laying in the valley, let’s take a tip from some of my favorite Entrepreneurs, who have ridden the wave and continue to persevere in spite of the madness.

Richard Branson: Stay focused - and motivated: You need to dream big and have lofty goals - but in your first year, concentrate on establishing your business and surviving. Keep your eyes on the prize and on day-to-day operations, setting small targets for each day, then each week, each month, each quarter and each year. Write them down and then tick them off. You will be amazed at how much satisfaction you get from this.

Kim Garst: Envy and worry do not feed your energy! Instead it eats it away! Stay focused.

Derek Halpern: The main characteristic between those who succeed and those who fail is the wiliness to turn bad news into good opportunities.

Gary Vaynerchuk: Look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, what do I want to do everyday for the rest of my life..Do that!

Michael Adams: You are strong when what’s in heart and what’s in your mind are aligned and your will makes it happen.

So never give up my fellow entrepreneurs, stay motivated and focused.

What are some of the things you do, to keep yourself motivated? Share in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you!  See you on the mountain top!

Special Thanks to Derek Halpern for permission to use his image.
Original Facebook Post http://bit.ly/1N1OcDu
Graphic Courtesy Derek Haplern of http://SocialTriggers.com

Article originally posted at The Huffington Post