[Day 2] Mindset: Have you got what it takes to be a Suitcase Entrepreneur?
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Starting a business is quite possibly one of the most challenging moments of your life. Running a business and your life from the road is another challenge altogether.
For the first few weeks and months you will likely question everything you thought you knew about yourself and whether you’re cut out to be an entrepreneur and a world traveler.
This is a natural state to be in. Be prepared to be in that state for at least the first year as you test what works and find out what you’re capable of.
It’s also something you should embrace. Putting yourself out there to create products and services that help others and make an impact is not meant to be easy.
You’re changing the world remember and that takes guts, persistence, massive amounts of self belief and determination – all of which will be tested on a regular basis.
But it’s so worth it.
I thought there was no better way to go about giving you the real deal here on what it really takes to be an entrepreneur then to answer this email question from a reader, especially since I get this question a lot and it’s important:
“Hello Natalie, I have been reading your inspiring tips and travel tales for about a year now, and I want you to know that you have been an inspiration to me. Mainly, you have helped me keep my dream alive; although I will admit I don’t have all my focus moving in one direction yet, and I haven’t put all your suggestions into practice. That said, I really would like to move in the direction of having my own business while traveling and helping people and creating community wherever I go. I am afraid that everything I do might need to be redone or rethought which makes me feel a little lost and not know where to start. When you share all that you have accomplished with lots of work but in a relatively short period of time, I wonder if I have enough energy to support myself though a similar process to achieve an outcome that feels very authentic and full. If you were starting again, where would you start? Thank you for your openness.” ~ AllisonHere’s my two part answer to your question Allison.
Part 1: You need to develop your freedom-based mindset
In Chapter 2 of The Suitcase Entrepreneur book I talk about the only four things you need to be free. While I’m sure you can guess at some of them, the one often overlooked is the freedom-based mindset.
The main reason that I see people NOT going after their dream lifestyle, is because they haven’t focused in on exactly what that looks like to them.
As a result they don’t have clarity on what they’re aiming for, and because of that they can’t set out any kind of plan to progress towards making `it’ a reality.
Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 2:
You see, living a life where freedom reigns supreme, where a laptop and Internet connection is all you need, is something most people just can’t get their head around.
It’s a beautiful thing when you do, as you suddenly see the world as your oyster, and the limitations you had in the past giving way to infinite possi- bilities facilitated by technology, a virtual workforce and affordable travel.
So Natalie what is the answer?
CHOOSE That’s it. Simply choose to live your best possible life.
DO NOT settle for mediocrity any longer. You have just one life.
STOP accepting the excuses you’ve been making all along.
START taking action and defining what your ideal lifestyle looks like.
FOCUS on how good you will feel when you accept life is in your control.
ACCEPT all the power you have within you to accomplish great things.
Part 2: What I’d do if I were starting out again:
My answer is this: I would have believed in myself from the get go. With that self belief firmly in place I would have chosen to treat my blog as my business from the very beginning and my future ticket to freedom.
Easy to say in hindsight, but learn from my lesson. Quit procrastinating, doubting, fearing and putting yourself in a state of paralysis by analysis and get busy living!
Ask yourself these questions right now:
Do you believe that you are worthy of love, happiness and success?
Do you know you have something to offer the world?
Do you believe you’ve gained valuable knowledge and skills in your lifetime?
Do you believe that you are capable of running your own successful business?
How badly do you want to create a business and life you love?
How much do you want to experience freedom on a daily basis?
How amazing will it feel when you make a start on doing what you’ve always wanted?
How long have you held onto those dreams in your head?
Be honest with yourself and check your answers to those questions. If you see a misalign with your answers to what you tell yourself you really want, we have some work to do.
Today’s Blog Challenge to accept in 3 easy steps
1. Write a response blog post to this question:
If you woke up tomorrow and were free to do anything you wanted with your life, what would you do and who would you be?
Top Tip: Feel free to focus on your a) ideal lifestyle and/or b) business/ career and just let it out. Assume there are no barriers at all. Don’t be shy. Explore!
2. Let us know you’ve written a blog post:
Don’t forget to copy and paste the URL of this blog post into your `trackbacks’ section under your blog post so we know you’ve written a response, and can link to it here too and shine some light on you!3. Embed the 30 Day Blog Challenge badge in your post:
Choose the badge you most like from right here. Then just COPY the HTML code already pre done for you, and PASTE it into the HTML tab of your post. You can display it at the top or the bottom – it’s up to you, as well as in your side bar.
Read these resource posts to help you
Four Steps To Figure Out What You Are Meant To Do In Life When You Have No Idea At All
The One Lie You’re Telling Yourself About Launching Your Dream Project Without Even Realizing It
What’s next in the 30 Day Blog Challenge?
If you want to go above and beyond you can:
Click to tweet this: If you woke up tomorrow and could do anything you wanted in life what would it be? #TSE30DC
Buy my new book on Amazon – FINALLY it’s here!!
Follow the 30 Day Blog Challenge Pinterest board as I’ll be pinning these posts and yours!me? https://bit.ly/1b8aZvQ
By the way if you’re as excited as I am and all the other awesome people emailing and messaging me, so share this cool challenge with your friends: Click to tweet: I’ve entered @suitcasepreneur‘s 30 day blog challenge. Fun-Fun-Fun! Wanna join
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s blog post and video for Day 3 on When you should start your online business?
You’ll be asked to write a response post on: What’s your definition of freedom in business and adventure in life?
Round up of just some of your fab Day 2 Blog Posts
Who’s part of this challenge and what are they blogging about today?
- Michelle would love to be able to devote more time to her family and also to take care of herself
- Shawn studies Aikido and feels that more than anything Aikido is really about the connection between to or more people
- Kate talks about How to quit taking yourself so seriously and still be committed to your cause
- Over at The 365 Effect Alan talks about The Myth of Tomorrow – How NOT to Buy into the Hype.
- Sara talks about why the greatest freedom we can obtain is accepting ourselves as the naturally creative, resourceful and whole beings we are.
- Fashion lover Luxelias had a dream…what if you could actually shop in your head by choosing anything you want, getting inspired by everyday life.
- Jessica would travel the world helping victims of natural disasters get their lives together again.
- Katie talks about what you really want to do with your life probably could be accomplished without winning the lottery.
- Rodney shares on his blog and podcast that if he were free to do anything he wanted with his life he’d do exactly what he’s doing now
- Sophia aspires to a lifestyle that will allow her to travel and operate a business from her Mac Book Air in sunnier climates
- Nina’s dream is also to be able to provide for her family, her vision is that she’s able to take care of her mother or maybe even give her a job.
- Christen wants to wake up tomorrow in a rental house in Scotland – a place with a fantastic view and just enough room for an art studio.
- Angela dreams of waking up tomorrow and being a professional speaker – the thing is she’s already there.
- Elizabeth’s goal is to earn enough residual income, through writing and photography, to enjoy a comfortable life-style and to keep travelling (big thumbs up for a great blog name that made me laugh!)
- Deborah dreams of: being free of illness, free of debt, free to travel, free to learn, free to immerse myself in other cultures, free from the alarm clock, free from pointless meetings. (and she gets bonus brownie points from me for promoting my book – thank you!)
- Amanda is Building Castles in the Air (and Slaying Dream-Killers)
- Hilary always makes sure that her clients are well taken care of even during her off hours, and is on the lookout for ways to better serve them
- Kirk writes a great post and knows that: I don’t need a ton of money to achieve my dreams. Even if my entrepreneurial ideas totally flop, I’m still going to achieve them.
- Because Kristy has taken the time to figure out exactly what she wants to do and be, she’s already consciously doing and being many of those things right now – even in some small way.
- Krissy would want to be someone who has freedom to be Mom, Wife, and Sister but still be able to earn an income to help support her new found family
- SKB would like to be the girl with the pink backpack who works from all over the world on content development and training projects
- Nancy looks forward to traveling further afield, meeting some fantastic people and exploring the area where they live
- Kim would work towards fulfilling the holistic goal behind farming in tune with nature and producing healthy vital nourishing food
- Ciara would like to travel the world with her family and meet up with like-minded parents in different countries
- Kristina aspires to be on her way to Angel Falls while planning a leisurely weekend getaway to Ishigaki Island with her sweet little kids
- Whitney wants to start a new business, plan a wedding and find a new home; without having to ask for “time off” from her boss
And there a ton more in the comments.