6/30/2014

5 signs that you are no average entrepreneur - Virgin.com

5 signs that you are no average

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26 June 2014
By Pedro De Abreu
@pedrodeabreu

Nobody wants to be an average entrepreneur,

right? You want your start-up to soar, making a
positive change to peoples live and a handsome
profit. If these five charactersitcs describe you,
then you might just be on the right track...
1. You reject deep seeded truths.
One of the most important and conspicuous characteristic you possess
is your ability to reject deep seeded truths about work, career, life and
relationships that are passed on from generation to generation. For
example, you reject the absolute truths that: 1. You must have a normal job
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5 signs that you are no average entrepreneur - Virgin.com

and a normal career (You cant perform well when constrained by strict
rules and by the corporate inability to use your creative and innovative
faculties.), 2. You must be like Johnny and Susie. (You are too busy to even
care about Johnny and Susie at all.), 3. You cant start your own business.
(You know that people who are used to playing it safe and always following
others will never understand how the extraordinary person will be able to
succeed at a venture of his or her own).

Image from gettyimages

You know that in order to begin a journey towards being extraordinary, you
must reject the soul-crushing, back-bending societal truths and start
thinking for yourself. As Ralph Waldo Emerson explains: To be yourself in
a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest
accomplishment.

Entrepreneur

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Image from gettyimages

2. You believe there is something special in you.

You know that there is something deep inside that distinguishes you from
the masses. Perhaps it is your ability to develop a lofty, intricate and
detailed vision; perhaps it is your ability to sell exceptionally well; perhaps it
is your ability to ask profound and refined questions. Whatever it is, you
know you have it in you. In a previous article, I mentioned that I came to
America at 15 without knowing how to speak any English. What helped me
overcome those linguistic and socio-cultural barriers was the fact that I
knew that I had something inestimable within. That special it was crucial in
helping me keep pressing forward.

3. You act like youre not average.

More important than believing you are not average, is acting like you are
not average that is, you let your actions speak on behalf of your beliefs.
While everyone else is racing towards the next big thing, towards their
familys professional expectations of them, you are quietly and carefully
working on your craft, on your big vision or business. You have an uncanny
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desire to create, to produce your own unique work, and you spend your
time constructing a solid bridge that will connect it your creations, your
work to profits. You despise herd-like mentality. You critically think about
your actions and act likewise. You know that doing what everyone else is
doing, at the end of the day, brings nothing but contempt and unfulfilment.
4. You keep great company.
You left behind all negative, self-defeating and angry people who used to
bring you down. You understand that people will often tell you that you
cant achieve what you set out to achieve because of either love or jealousy.
You know that those who love you try to talk you out of your vision because
they want you to maintain the status quo and have a safe life. You know
that those who are a jealous of what youve got going on will do anything
they can, sometimes even making use of psychological and verbal abuse, in
order to keep you from moving forward. For that reason, you keep
company with winners. You keep company with people who want to see
you succeed, who tell the truth, who have big dreams and most
importantly act in accordance to those dreams. Consequently, because of
better input, both your self-esteem and your output are exponentially
greater than an average persons.

5. You have a vision that transcends your current state.

When I was a 15-year-old immigrant who spoke no English, by societys
standards, I was supposed to grow up to become, at most, a gas station
attendant. Instead, I confabulated in my mind a vision compelling enough
to make me think I could achieve great things. I acted in accordance to that
vision and ultimately ended up, in some years, becoming an entrepreneur,
international speaker and Harvard student.
No matter the present circumstances, you, too, have an undeniably
gorgeous vision for who you can become and for how much you can grow.
You, too, believe there is something special in you. You, too, act like you are
not average and keep great company.
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Image from gettyimages

You know that you dont necessarily have to be extraordinary because you
live an extraordinary life with riches and fame. Quite on the contrary. You
can be extraordinary because, although you are not there yet, you have the
fruitful aptitude to see your situation and reality for what it could, and one
day will, be. You work harder than anyone you know because you have
something to look forward to that no one has. You have a compelling vision
that keeps propelling you forward with gusto, with positivity and primacy.
Most importantly, you know that your day is coming.
-This is a guest blog and may not represent the views of Virgin.com. Please
see virgin.com/terms for more details.

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