One of our favourite entrepreneurs and authors is Bel Pesce of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Recently named a TIME Magazine Next Generation Leader, she is the founder of FazINOVA, a school that helps people of all ages achieve their dreams. Ironically enough, Bel delivered a TED Talk last year on the 5 Ways to Kill Your Dreams, but we thought it made excellent advice when applied to the realm of entrepreneurship.

Strategies for Entrepreneurs

1. Believe You Will Be An Overnight Success

You know the story. The tech guy that built a mobile app and quickly sold it for a lot of money. The stor­y is real, but it’s incomplete. Investigate further and you discover the guy has built 30 apps before and has been working on the topic for the last 10 years or more. Your “overnight success” is a result of everything you’ve done in your life up to that moment.

2. Believe Someone Else Has All The Answers

It seems everyone is qualified to dispense advice to entrepreneurs nowadays. Friends, family, business associates, consultants, heck, even us. We all have opinions on which path you should take to be the most successful. But as tempting as it is, you have to rely on your gut. Your instincts. The fact is, you don’t need anyone to “expertise” you. No one has the perfect answers for your life. You have to make the decisions. And keep on making them. Sure, you’re going to make some bad ones. Get used to it. It’s all part of the process.

3. Believe You Can Settle When Growth Is Guaranteed

Congratulations! You got a great team. Revenues are growing. Your impact is guaranteed. Everything is set. Now you can take your foot off the gas and settle. ‘Cause it will all be okay. But okay is never ok. When you’re growing towards a peak, you need to work harder than ever and find yourself another peak. And another. There’s no time to settle down.

4. Believe It’s Someone Else’s Fault

“I had this awesome idea but no investor had the vision to invest.” “I created this great product, but the market was bad and I didn’t have any sales.” “My team is weak and underperforming, but I can’t find good talent.” Yeah, it may be tough to find talent. And the market may be bad. But if no one invested in your idea, if no one bought your product, then you gotta look in the mirror. No one has ever achieved their goals alone, but if you didn’t make them happen, it’s your fault and no one else’s. Take responsibility for your dreams. Tough words. But true.

5. Believe That Only Achieving Your Goals Matters

Contrary to what your over-caffeinated, hyper positive motivational success coach may have told you, life is never about the goals themselves. Life is about the journey. Many entrepreneurs think that once they reach their dreams, they’ll be in some magical place full of happiness. But achieving your dream is a momentary sensation. Your life is not. The only real way to achieve ALL your dreams is to fully enjoy every step of your journey. Seems like we heard that somewhere before, eh?

Watch Bel’s full TED Talk here.

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Written by Rik Klingle-Watt

About the author

Rik Klingle-Watt is a soulpepper and the writer of Not Business as Usual, an award-winning documentary about disrupting the business quo.

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