True success takes full commitment. Loitering round the edge of the dock isn’t the same as baiting and casting your line. Keeping one foot on the beach and one in the water is NOT swimming!

The first step in being able to make the leap is a shift in thinking.

In my work with new entrepreneurs, I generally get a call about the time they get tired of slogging it out, wondering if the business is ever going to get off the ground, and if they’re ever going to make the serious money they dreamed of when they started.

Over the years I’ve come to recognize there are a couple of common barriers that keep them stuck:

1. Fear of being locked in. When you commit to a course of action it can feel like you’re locked in. In reality, you are no more locked in than with any other choice you make. You get to choose. It’s a “lock” or commitment that you choose, not one that is imposed on you. And you have the key, you still have choice.
2. Lack of clarity. When the vision isn’t fully clear, it’s hard to commit to the long haul. Just imagine you were asked to pack and go to the airport, but your ticket didn’t have the destination on it. Hmmm, how likely would you be to get on board? You’d be smart to hesitate. If you still want the holiday, a better strategy would be to clarify where the plane is going, then make a decision to take it, or change your ticket to another destination. Wow, there you go again, you still have a choice.
3. Lack of confidence. We are all really good at something and we’re all not good at everything. Anyone who recognizes this and looks to leverage their strengths, do the hard work, and hold themselves accountable for outcomes, can run a successful business. You can choose (dang, there’s that word again) to believe you can or you can’t. And you’ll be right.

Total commitment to a venture can feel risky and/or scary, but not making a decision to commit is even more scary. It guarantees you won’t achieve your dreams.

- Liz Gaige
Market Navigators Consulting

Tags: entrepreneur, Liz Gaige, Market Navigators

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 4th, 2009 at 10:48 am and is filed under Going All In, Liz Gaige - Marketing, Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.