Being an Entrepreneur Will Teach You to Be a Better Person
By practicing these 3 traits
I believe that we are all born with a good heart. To do good. To be kind. To make a difference. Life hands each of us with different circumstances that change who we are and who we eventually become. Circumstances that don’t always bring out the best version of ourselves.
Doing a job you don’t love makes you bitter.
Having a kid who skips school makes you angry.
Having a stingy landlord makes you resentful.
Having a high paying position makes you feel entitled.
We are so busy living our lives day to day that we rarely have the time to reflect on how we are coping. Who we really are. How we can improve. We are merely in the pursuit of getting things done.
Being an entrepreneur is not a straight path where you just go marching forward. You will constantly be pushed to reflect on your decisions. To undo what has been done. To pivot. It will test every strength you have and make you improve on your areas of weakness. It is because only you are responsible for your success. Nobody else is telling you to do this.
Annoyed that nobody is using your product? Make it better.
Frustrated that you can’t get investment for your idea? Pitch better.
Can’t get everything done in time? Manage your time better.
You as an entrepreneur are here to make it all better.
Being an entrepreneur is consciously walking into a life of solving problems. Finding solutions. Taking what causes you pain to what makes you grow. Making your town, cities or the world better with what you have to offer.
To be a successful entrepreneur you will have to weather many storms and the only way forward is to improve yourself. Either that or fail.
Here are 3 personality traits that you will have to master on your path to be a successful entrepreneur, which will make you a better person in life and in business.
Empathy
Sitting in a glass corner office high on the 45th floor, it can be hard to relate to the delivery guy running around the streets working hard to make ends meet.
You live in a bubble. I lived in a bubble.
Then one day in my life as a newly minted entrepreneur, all that entitlement flew out the window. Suddenly who I was wouldn’t help me sell my product. Titles meant nothing. It became all about my product.
I sat in the car and did deliveries, learned the operations, and took customer service calls. I empathized with every server who has ever waited on me, every Uber driver roaming the streets trying to find an address, or the corner store operator who is worried about next month’s rent.
Everything fell into perspective. I learned to feel more empathetic. My heart opened up more than it ever had. Trying to conquer your dreams will humble you. It will bring you down. Each time you fall, you will learn and grow.
Empathy will bring you closer to people. It will bring out qualities of generosity, gratitude and compassion. All of these will serve you well in life.
Patience
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.” — Robert Frost
I am reminded of this quote everyday when I go to bed. The path of an entrepreneur is long and windy. Dark and scary. Some days it feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. The only way to keep going is to have faith and be patient. I was the most impatient person I knew before starting on my journey as an entrepreneur. As a typical Type A personality, I always wanted to see results instantly. Unfortunately, the only way to materialize lofty visions is to have patience. To relentlessly focus on what you can each day to bring the results you wish in the future.
“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.”
— Arthur Ashe
Let’s face it, 9 out of 10 startups fail. But the ones who succeed are the ones who keep going despite all the naysayers. Running a business will teach you how to run your life. To enjoy each day instead of worry about yesterday or tomorrow. To be more present.
If we were all a bit more patient with ourselves we would focus on doing what we really want in life, not what we really want now.
Which one would you pick?
Resourcefulness
Resourcefulness comes down to making the most with what you have. Every new business owner has to be thrifty in the early days when you don’t have a full team, limited capital and a few, if any, customers. Learning to be resourceful will be vital to your survival as a company. How do you sell a product without having it built? How do you attract new customers with a small marketing budget? Resourcefulness gives birth to innovation and creativity.
If we can apply this same resourcefulness to how we approach life, we find clever ways to overcome any difficulty. We bring out the best in every situation. We use a little to make a lot.
Approach your business and your life with the same intentionality and commitment to improve. And along the way you’ll learn to be patient, empathetic and resourceful. This is what sets those apart who make it for the long haul from those that just give up. They are the ones who push hard to become better.
