HONEST INTROSPECTION: AN ENTREPRENEUR'S JOURNEY

Article by Darlene Dunn
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #20

You have a dream, you are an entrepreneur! You see yourself as a leader in your industry, mega-successful with a huge business! Then….reality sets in—long hours, frustrations, highs and lows, slow growth—now what?!?

While it is fine, even encouraged to develop a long range vision of where you are going, you also need to live in the moment—in your reality. For starters, step back and really look at yourself. You know where you want to be, so now you need to honestly see where you are at this point in time.

Look at your strengths. Be honest; too many times we sell ourselves short. Make a list of your strengths—see it and believe it! Now, for the not so fun part of introspection, take a look at yourself and see your weakness or rather areas for growth. This is not easy but; it is vital for you to reach that long range goal. This ‘look’ is not about beating yourself up, but rather helping you focus so you can grow into a leader.

So, now you have two lists, what else? There is one more ‘look’ you need to take. This one requires that you are totally honest with yourself. Ask yourself—what is the one habit or tendency you have that seems to annoy just about everyone? Write it down, study it, be self-aware—in what situations do you find yourself doing ‘it’? Once you learn—you can harness ‘it’ and use ‘it’ to your advantage. Odds are, this tendency is that ‘certain special something’ that can propel you forward.