When you’re contemplating running your own business from home, it helps
to change the way that you look at life in general.

It’s good prep work for the challenges ahead.

Of course, you’ve probably already begun this change of mind because
you’ve realized that what you’re doing right now isn’t satisfying or working
for you in general.

Here’s a little secret for you to ponder: it’s going to be hard.

There really isn’t any way around this fact, so how are you going to deal with
it? Are you going to quit if it gets too hard, or are you going to persevere
and find ways to overcome obstacles?

Another way to put this is to think of each difficulty as a way to learn or an
opportunity to grow.

Everything that will happen to you can be turned into a learning experience,
from an angry customer to a late order to a poorly planned budget.

Sit down with your problem after it occurs and decide how you can prevent it
from happening again. This is a positive and truly solid way to go about
looking at problems. You don’t want to have to deal with the problem again,
right?

So figure out how to avoid or solve it now. This is a learning opportunity, not
a mistake.

Being an entrepreneur is a leap of faith in a lot of ways. Even if you’re
confident in your business and your friends and family have told you
(honestly) that they are sure you will succeed, it’s the buyers that really
make this happen.

Or not.

You need to prepare yourself for the moments of self doubt and worry that
will inevitably occur. These are only stepping stones on your path to
success, and not road blocks.

It’s good to have doubt because it keeps you sure that you’re on the right
path. Doubt makes you stop and question what kinds of decisions you are
making and whether or not you need to change your goals to get there.
You are expanding your horizons by starting your own business—of course
this is scary.

But just as the old adage says, ‘No pain, no gain,’ so will you need to stretch
yourself to see how far you can go.

Repeat to yourself your goals and dreams on a day to day basis, face your
fears, and you will succeed in the end.

IF YOU’RE STILL IN DOUBT

Let’s just say that the doubt is starting to keep you up at night.
Maybe it’s from your own mind or from the mouths of others. Are you crazy?
How will you feed your family? What if it doesn’t work?

What if it doesn’t work? That’s always the big one.

And even if no one has called you ‘insane’ to your face, you may have felt it
in the way that they talk to you or the way that they reacted to your new
venture. They stopped, stared for a moment (probably thinking of how
ludicrous you are), and then half-heartedly congratulated you.

Do you let that get to you or can you move forward from the doubt?

The truth of these doubting souls is that they do care about you and are only
expressing their concern. They probably are a bit jealous as well because
they may have their own ideas, but are too bogged down in their self-doubt
to ever make them a reality.

They want more money, more freedom, and more time with their families,
but they’re not ready to take the leap to make it work. They doubt that they
could ever make their ideas work.

Don’t listen to them. Even if they are people that you love, do not listen to
their doubting thoughts. It’s like a disease that only spreads with each
added thought, slowly eating away at your confidence and at your dream.
But what if they are right? Ah, that’s the rub.

They very well may be right in their thinking. You may fail miserably and
suffer all of the consequences that they feared for you, warned you of, but
these fears are their fears.

Not yours.

You need to realize that they too want the success that you’re working
toward, but are just too afraid to do it for themselves. They are stuck in
complacency and security. They think that if they never make a ‘wrong’
decision that they’ll somehow end up better for it.

You’re only going to absolutely fail if you never try.

What they don’t know (and you do) is that your drive is going to help you
succeed. You’re dedicated to working through the rough spots and the hard
times. And you won’t give up as easily as they do.

Get rid of these doubters and their opinions. You’re not afraid to succeed—
they are.