Darcy Brenan landed her dream job at a prestigious law firm in down town Chicago as a paralegal. All of Darcy’s life she thought she wanted to be a part of the hustle and bustle of the big City in a high demanding position only to find that this dream job made her feel trapped. Darcy went from being enthused about her new found position to miserable due to the monotony of her work environment. After 4 years with the law firm Darcy quit and opened a cupcake shop 7 blocks from the law firm. When asked why she decided to make such a brash move, Darcy replied, “I felt compelled to do something different. I knew I had talent and ideas that were not being exercised in my position at the law firm. I made up my mind to choose happiness and even a little discomfort rather than settle in a position that no longer brought me any sense of fulfillment.”
If you have ever worked a 9 to 5, you go through phases similar to those of Darcy Brenan. When you are first hired you are excited to embark on your journey; even if it is at the idea that someone chose you out of 1000’s of candidates. Over time you find the excitement dies, and you spend the majority of your monotonous day completing your task and daydreaming of greener pastures. When your thoughts take you away from your task at hand, something magic happens. You venture off into your own thoughts; thinking of millions of things you could do besides working for this company that no longer gives you warm fuzzies. Depending on your train of thought you can actually brainstorm your way into a new business idea for yourself. The following are 5 clues that show you that you are ready and have what it takes to be your own boss.
- You Have Asked Yourself Introspective Questions
Have you ever sat at a desk watching daylight turn to night; wondering to yourself when will this madness end? This is your first clue that your abilities are too grand to fit inside of a cubicle. You begin to awaken your potential to be a boss when you don’t look at this feeling with disdain; instead you think of this as an opportunity to find what would makes you happy. Ask yourself, what skill sets do I have? What is a problem that I have the answer to? What is the one thing I do better than everybody else? And my favorite question, if I was not here doing this job, where would I be? What is the perfect job for me? This first clue allows you to focus on your natural talent and abilities.
2. You Have Killed Your Fears
The unknown is always a scary place to move toward but you have to drum up the courage to just go. Think about the first time you were faced with jumping off of the diving board at your local swimming pool. You stood in line and as each kid jumped in front of you, you began to shake, your knees locked up and you wanted to get out of the line. After you overcame the initial fear, when it was your turn to step up on the diving board, you were faced with the fear of immediately falling in as the board starts to wobble. You are told to walk right to the edge and jump; your brain knows what to do, your body stops you from the innate fear of falling. This is the same fear one has when deciding to go against the grain and become their own boss. Just like diving into a refreshing swimming pool; one has to resolve to jump and when you look back you will see there was no reason to be afraid. In fact, you step up to the challenge over and over again. The second clue deals with killing your own fear; which is key to building the confidence needed to go forward.
3. You Have Blocked Out Doubt
The esteem needed to start a business and drift off into unknown territories is often what stops one from propelling forward. You have to fully sell yourself on the notion that you have the ability to not only build a business but also run it successfully. It’s easy to block out family and friends that doubt you, but it is a hard job shutting off your inner negative Nancy or Norman. When you can overcome the voices in your head, you build the esteem needed to be your own boss. This third clue helps you to look internally and root out all negative thoughts.
4. You Have Disciplined Yourself
Surely you have heard that practice makes perfect. That is a phrase that you were told in order to teach you discipline. If you have ever practiced any sport, you know that championships are the result of loads of hard work and dedication. You may have had to practice your craft in the rain or in hot desert like heat; but you did it because you were dedicated to realizing your goal of winning. In order to be successful in any arena, you have to have discipline; that drive to get it done even when you don’t feel like it. When you are your own boss, you have no one telling you what task has to be done and when it is due; you have to have the resolve to complete your own mission.
5. You Have Laser Sharp Focus
Another slogan you may have heard along your journey is, “Keep Your eyes on the prize.” This is the overall slogan that reminded civil rights leaders to stay focused on their goal and not get distracted. As I previously stated, you have to block out your own doubt and the scrutiny of others. One can only realize their goal, if they know what they are working towards. As an entrepreneur your goal is to build and run a successful business; you have to focus on this with the ferocity of a lion stalking its prey. You have never seen a lion chase after a gazelle and stop to take a nap. The Lion is aggressive in its approach and will continue to chase the gazelle until they take it down. This is the same intensity you should have when chasing after your goals. Stay focused and keep your eyes on the target at all times.
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