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5 Habits Of Successful Entrepreneurs by Helaine Iris

Habits get a bum rap. When you think about your habits, I bet you think of the bad ones the ones that you arent particularly proud of, likeeatingtoo much sugar, or smoking, or dwelling on your negati e thoughts. !ccordingto Websters dictionary a habit simply is" ! pattern or action that isac#uiredand has become so automatic that it is difficult to break.

Its easy to see how if you start a beha ior, and continue to reinforce it,it#uickly becomes a habit. $he pint of %en and &errys after dinner, playing'ree (ell when you should be making calls, or always leaping to a negati econclusion when something happens. )nce habits are formed, they can be

hard to break, correct*+et ready for a new perspecti e habits can be good What if, instead of relating to your habit as a problem, you were able to use your habitscreati elyto help you be more successful* -ince habits are a natural part of our humane perience /for better or worse0, learning to capitali1e on your innateability toform positi e patterns can mean a ery successful life and business.

Here are 2 habits that successful entrepreneurs can learn to de elop.

1. Build resilience. 3ou dont need me to tell you part of what goes with

the territory when youre self4employed is the incessant up and down of sales and cash flow. $his is probably the number one stress producer for entrepreneurs.

%uilding the habit of resilience will help you to elegantly weather theuna oidable ups and downs. 3ou build resilience by building your reser es.-ome e amples of reser es are cash, /ha ing 546 months of sa ings in the

bank0self4esteem /plenty of positi e regard for yourself0 or confidence /feelinglike ane pert in your field0.

What creates the most worry for you when faced with a stressor in your business* 'ocus on building a reser e of what e er will counter your number one stressor.

2. Become a passion junkie. 7assion is an emotion its a feeling of e citement and intensity. It arises when you recogni1e something thatauthentically resounds in your being, and is a result of lo e and affinity.3ou know when you feel it and you know when its missing.

8nfortunately, many people ha e de eloped the default habit of

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connecting with the emotion of fear instead. 'ear /unless a polar bear is chasing you0 fuels negati e thinking and always results in stress.How do you connect with your passion* How can you begin to dis#ualifythe fear4based thoughts that want to hog the road /of your mind0* )nceyou disco er your passion, or remember it, taking acti e steps to stayconnected to it will begin a new practice and encourage the passion

habit in your life.3. Be authentic. !ccording to psychologist, !braham 9aslow, !uthenticityis the reduction of phoniness toward the 1ero point. -tri e to be honestinyour personal and professional dealings so your beha ior and speech are atrue and spontaneous e pression of your inner self. :i e in a way thate pressesyour real ision, alues and characteristics.;o you know who you truly are* %y knowing yourself first, you will de elopthe habit of authenticity. What you put into the world will begin to becongruent with what you recei e back from the world.

4. ork smarter not harder. If youre not careful, working hard candeteriorate into an e hausting habit, rather than an e pression of anethic. )ften what dri es and moti ates entrepreneurs is the desire for success, but the pursuit of success often comes with mental baggagethat can undermine it.

What are the mental tapes that cycle through your thought stream toundermine you* I e got to work hard and pro e myself< If I dont do itmyself, it wont get done or perhaps, If I could =ust put in more time,Id get it all done. %egin to build the habit of working smarter notharder.

(ounter the disempowering messages with some practical actions that put your business more on autopilot. Impro e your systems, take thetime to plan, and delegate.

5. !ractice "enerosit#. $he international business networking organi1ation,%>Is motto is +i ers +ain. $he premise is more will come back to youif you focus on generously gi ing to your business network, and your customers.

+i ing, pro iding alue, or offering superlati e customer ser ice is anattracti e attribute and positi e habit to de elop. $im -anders, author of :o e Is $he ?iller !pp articulates this business idea as, the act

of intelligently and sensibly sharing your intangibles with your business partners. $his alue can dri e your business and your life up as far asyou want it to go. What intangibles do you ha e to offer your world*What shift in your success and happiness do you see possible byfocusing on gi ing rather than gaining*

If creating a habit is as easy as starting a beha ior, and then repeatingit /practice0, consider the positi e and powerful habits you could begin toform in your life and business, starting today +oing back to Webstersdefinition, a positi e habit would be e#ually hard to break.

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Wouldnt that be nice for a change*

Its 3)8@ life. :i e it completely

Helaine is a professional coach and writer, who has been featured innumerous publications, including ) $he )prah 9aga1ine. -he helps

entrepreneurs and professional women accelerate their professionalsuccess, while achie ing a more complete and fulfilling personal life.-he combines a broad range of professional e perience in her work,including management positions in the education, training, retail andinternational non4profit sectors. 'or a free consultation, contact her at5AB4B2C4D2E5 to discuss how she can help you accelerate your ownsuccess. 3ou may also isit her website, http"FFwww.pathofpurpose.com ,for additional information, or email your #uestions tohelaineGpathofpurpose.com

http://www.pathofpurpose.com/http://www.pathofpurpose.com/