1. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
You guys know I had to start with the most obvious successful 21st century icon in Entrepreneurship. What was so great about Steve Jobs was his relentlessness to succeed in everything he does, each and every single day. There will be great days and thee will be hard days – through pure enjoyment and striving towards your goals, you will be truly satisfied.
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2. “The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing.” – Walt Disney
We have all seen that Facebook photo (or found it on somewhere on the internet) about how some of the world’s most influential and successful figures once failed. What they all had in common was the preference to keep pushing and never say never until they achieved what they thought was possible. Who said Walt Disney lacked imagination? Amazing how a ‘low-blow’ can struck a spark that erupted a global brand.
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3. “Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes playing a poor hand well.” – Jack London
As a young entrepreneur we are acclaimed to the fact that we think our idea or business will change the world. This is one of the best visions to have. But, what happens when we get criticised? We seem to crawl back into our shells feeling that we have is really not going to fulfil our dreams. This is nonsense – criticism is you’re best friend. This is what will get you to the top. Trial and error. After all, in my eyes, 10% is life and 90% is how you react to it (See what I did there?).
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4. “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t — you’re right.” – Henry Ford
This comes to down to anything in life whether it is asking the hot girl at the bar to have a dance with you, or that one time you had the opportunity to bungee jump off one of the biggest cliffs in the world – the ability to overcome the mental capacity of entrepreneurship is a must. If you can’t be optimistic, how can you expect to overcome the down times? You can, and you will succeed.
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5. “If you’re not a risk taker, you should get the hell out of business.” – Ray Kroc
I’ve always believed that life is all about risks. It’s about that adrenaline rush of the uncertainty and unknown and the ability to push through these barriers is truly a satisfying feeling. This is the same for business, if you don’t take risks, when will you ever learn?
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6. “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” –Michael Jordan
As a massive sports nut, I could not leave this quote out of sight. It is the true perseverance of Jordan and learning from his failures which lead him to become not only the most recognised NBA player in the world, but the greatest sportsman the world has ever seen. I believe that Entrepreneurship is like being an athlete – you have to make some sacrifices, you will have tough times (like athletes do with injuries), but the shear satisfaction of small successes and steps, will eventually lead you onto a path of fulfillment.
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7. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into smaller manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” –Mark Twain
One of the biggest lessons I have already learnt to just to START. We all have great ideas that would turn into profitable businesses, but taking action always seems to be the catch when it comes to actually doing something. It’s a barrier that seems to hinder a lot of us – my advice, just start. Whether it is going to a networking event, researching on the Internet, drawing up a business plan – anything! The key is to start.
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8. “Don’t be cocky. Don’t be flashy. There’s always someone better than you.” – Tony Hsieh
Pretty self explanatory, but everyone thinks that once you become a successful entrepreneur it’s all about living the high life. Sure, if you are successful, why not spend on yourself and go wild? Just remember, once you are successful you are a role model and once upon a time, you were once that person who looked up to someone who was successful and gifted in gratitude. Whenever you are successful in business or in life, be humble.
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9. “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill
It comes back to what being an entrepreneur is all about. Being optimistic is crucial, otherwise how will the world ever see who you are? Aim for the skies. Don’t look down upon opportunities that seem to get in the way. Deal with them and press forward. If you fail, see it as an opportunity to improve and succeed. I guarantee you from experience; it is a pretty damn good feeling.
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10. “In between goals is a thing called life, that has to be lived and enjoyed.” – Sid Caesar
Life isn’t all about work, and neither should it be when you are an entrepreneur. Sure, being an entrepreneur means that your business will be a big part of your life, but it most definitely shouldn’t take over. For any business at first, it will take long hours and sacrifices, but this won’t last forever. Things will fall into place and you will remember why you started. Just remember, we are humans, not machines.
Dan Siepen is the co-founder and strategic partnerships director at The Coder Factory, a coding school that teaches aspiring tech startup entrepreneurs. He is passionate about technology education and encouraging more people to learn to code.
Image credit: CC by Alan Light