Talk to your child about Masturbation

We all know what masturbation is. A deadly habit that has ruined the life of many people. A spiritual addiction that causes you to remain stagnant and unyielding no matter how you try.

Most people start engaging in it from a Young age usually from the ages of 15-18 they Become addicted, they enjoy it, drowned in it's releasing comfort. But with time they start fighting to overcome it. They become victims of the damaging effects that comes along with its pleasure. Sometimes they are successful in the fight, oftentimes they are subdued.

Please Nigerian Parents it is important that you are aware that 80 percent of kids these days engage in this act, The percentage of Boys more than girls. You may not know this but it is true. Your teenage son might have started doing it. Your teenage daughter inclusive. You do not expect your child to tell you these type of things so please you should take this seriously.

The internet is one place that has promoted this deadly act. I once typed the word itself on Google and the first thing that popped up was ‘Advantages of masturbation’ I was surprised, and Sad. imagine if your 17 year old had read that article, he would be convinced that he was doing nothing bad because there was an ‘Advantage’ to it.

In social media it is just a Normal thing that people talk about, there is no graveness to it.

Nigerian Twitter is the home to such sexual conversations, there are memes and raw suggestions making it seem like a Normal thing. My cousin once confided in me and told me how Twitter made him learn how to masturbate. Many other kids have fallen into this act through social media because of the way it is presented there; Western, easing and Perfectly Normal.

What You Must Do

You cannot entirely restrict how your children use the internet, you cannot restrict what they see on it, you cannot tell if they watch pornography or engage in other sexual sins at their young Age. But there is something you Must and Can do; Talk to them about it, ask questions. You should be aware that they might Lie to you and tell you that they don't do it but please go further, tell them why it is bad. Why they should not start doing it, Why they should Stop.

Above all, please pray with them, even though they admit it or not, Pray with them. it is what the devil uses to attack Young ones these days.Once it is started, Only God's intervention can help. Advice them to become closer to God. You are their parent, pray to God on their Behalf. Most importantly, Constantly admonish them on the Subject.

Masturbation is a Destiny Killer. Talk to your Children about it.

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LIFE Unusual Advice To Any Young Person Wanting To Live An Extraordinary Life.

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LIFE Unusual Advice To Any Young Person Wanting To Live An Extraordinary Life.

When I dropped out of high school and took a year off to work on a business full- time, I thought I knew where I was heading. Boy was I wrong!

What saved me was good people who saw something in me that I couldn’t see (my potential). Not long after high school, I was knee deep in lots of business ventures and I had a very successful DJ career.

My early 20’s were well lived and I definitely fit the cookie cutter version of success that you see on all of those entrepreneur blogs where the dude gets out of a Bentley with a tanned colored briefcase and the latest Versace boat shoes.

So, I figured based on my younger years that I’m qualified to talk about how you reach an extraordinary life.

Going through my early 20’s, these are a few things that I wish I known that lead to an extraordinary life:

Whatever you are doing in your 20’s will change.

My early 20’s are 360 degrees different from where I am now. I was a drunk, a brat, incredibly negative and selfish. We all start somewhere.

Wherever you are right now will be completely different in ten years so quit worrying so much.

You’ve got time.

You don’t need to be a millionaire by the time you’re 30. This is shitty advice and not practical. What you need to do is experience life and find out who you want to be.

Being too impatient will stop you from enjoying just how good the now is when your body is young, you don’t have wrinkles, your hair is all there and not grey, you can remember loads of information and you have energy.

Life will become more than just looking after yourself.

Your 20’s start out being all about you. As you move through life, it becomes more about what you can do for others. The quicker you get to this way of living, the faster you’ll reach the nirvana of an extraordinary life.

“Extraordinary life = being associated with something that’s bigger than you and focusing on the needs of others which will ultimately lead to fulfillment”

Show you’re hungry.

Tell the recruiter you’ll walk through walls to get the CEO position. When a mentor asks for a favor which could be your big break, grab the opportunity by the balls and be confident with your ability. Show gratitude and back yourself.

Indecision and lack of confidence is everywhere in society and so if you can give people the feeling that you’ve got your stuff together and you’ll be able to execute, you’ll win most of the time. Sometimes you’ll lose too so don’t fall in the habit of complaining either. Losing is normal.

Experiment on the side.

Your 20’s are about trying things to see what you like and what you hate. Maybe you love working for a big corporate and you have it within you to be CEO. Maybe you can’t stand working for someone else and you’ll end up as an entrepreneur.

All of these outcomes stem from experimenting lots. You won’t know until you try something and analyze how it makes you feel. If it feels good and is congruent with who you are, then go all in. If you lose everything, well hey, you’re still young so it’s no big deal.

I tried something I thought I hated – blogging – and now I love it. Experiment like mad.

Your concept of success will fall off a cliff.

Everyone, when they are young, falls for the idea of success that is money, fame and a good career. This whole philosophy will fall off a cliff when you reach your 30’s. Once you’ve had a small taste of all of this, you’ll see how meaningless it is.

The feelings that come from money, fame and a career that’s all about you will die off quicker than my indoor plants do (I must be doing something wrong!).

The majority of what you see on the Internet does not reflect reality.

The Internet is not fact. The Internet is not reality.

As soon as you come to terms with this somewhat unconventional idea, the sooner you’ll quit thinking everyone is living the good life and you’re not, so you need to work harder – this is not true.

Reality is what you experience day-to-day when you’re not looking at that stupid phone you carry in your pocket. Reality is what you make of it and you are in the driver’s seat.

Disconnect from the liars, fakers, imitators, has been’s etc.

No matter how much you try, if you spend time with these people, then a little bit of them will rub off on you. Reputation takes years to create and only minutes to destroy. Lying, faking, imitating and focusing on the past will not allow you to take any shortcuts.

There are no shortcuts.

“Honesty, integrity and working away at your dream is how you become extraordinary”

Most of the “piss up’s” can be skipped.

Try going to an event that has alcohol available and drink water for the night. Then you’ll see the truth of what’s really going on. People drink to forget, mostly. You don’t need to forget when you’re living a life of purpose. Sure, socialize here and there, but there’s no need to overdo it.

Be smart with your money.

Put some money away into a savings account or index fund. Money will give you freedom later on. Waking up with no money in the bank one day, will give you zero options. There’s going to be a time where you are between careers and you’ll need money to make that smooth transition.

“Money can buy you back time which is the only thing you’ll want more of as you get older”

Your parent’s rules are probably out of date.

Our parents were brought up in an era where it was all about university and owning a home with a white picket fence. In the age of technological disruption, online free speech, unlimited information on the Internet, dating apps and alternative investments, your parent’s advice probably won’t help you.

Your parents are basing their view of the world on when they were young. Living life using the rules of the 60’s and 70’s will make you fail in the age we live in today. Take your parents advice in small doses.

Questions and books form the basis of everything.

That’s why asking questions has become such a big deal. Every self-help book is preaching questions because they work. Questions lead to new discoveries and huge opportunities. The order in which you ask questions and how specific you are will lead to different paths – a bit like a choose your own adventure book.

You’ll also need to read. Reading about extraordinary things will give you the spark of creativity to do the same one day. You have to understand the ingredients of an extraordinary achievement before you can do the same.

Big pivots in life are the cornerstone of something great.

Stuff ups in your 20’s will drive you nuts. You’ll wish they didn’t happen.

As you move through your life, you’ll wish for more stuff ups which is counter-intuitive. This wish usually comes about with the realization that everything good that happens starts from something that probably sucks.

Not getting what you want forces you to go harder at getting what you want. You’ll probably get stuck later in life following the same routine every day. I’ve found that when I break the pattern, I get different results which are far better than what I was getting previously.

Chill the F out.

There’s no need to stress. You’re still young and you have so much to learn. Relax once in a while and stop trying to control every bit of your future. Take a chill pill and reframe from being so serious. Living an extraordinary life takes years, so sit back and enjoy the ride.

Thanks for reading 

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If You Want to Be Successful Stop These 3 Toxic Habits

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If You Want to Be Successful Stop These 3 Toxic Habits

Are you finding life more of a struggle? With more distractions, more bills, and more choices, it can feel as though we’re not making any progress. As technology disrupts multiple industries, many people are trying to build their own business or start the much talked about side hustle.

The struggle is real, and after a few years, we can start to wonder why our goals haven’t come to fruition. The networking, upskilling, and hustle might not have paid off. We can question and throw blame, but in truth, our failure to progress is often because we need to be someone new, in order to achieve something we haven’t achieved before.

If you are in this situation, feeling exhausted of the grind, and wondering why you’re not getting your break, then it might be time to change who you are being. What are you willing to sacrifice?

Here are the 3 things you need to stop doing immediately if you want to be successful:

1. The Clothes Maketh The Man: Stop owning so many clothes.

We understand the power of what we wear, and how it can impact the first impression that we make, but do we have too many choices? Over the years, our wardrobes have grown to the point that the idea of moving house fills us with dread.

We have lost count of just how many items we have, as each year they are added by the various holidays and celebrations that suggest clothing as a quick and easy present choice. Buying clothes can be fun too, and we all like to wear new items. The problem is that in our fast paced, multiple choice, lives, it’s all too easy to suffer from decision fatigue.

It takes energy to make decisions, and we can be assaulted by choices every moment of the day. We need to limit this by building habits such as the route to work we take, what we have for breakfast, and what clothing we wear. You probably have a style that suits you, and an outfit or two that makes you feel confident and attractive. So why not replicate that every day?

You will not be alone. In fact, you will be in the company of Presidents and CEO’s. Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Barack Obama, all had a small interchangeable wardrobes. Your aim is to limit the choice, know you will look good and be comfortable, and as an added bonus, you will be adding to your personal brand.

“I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.” – Barack Obama

2. Body Eating Spirit or Water Of Life? Stop drinking alcohol.

Alcohol can be seen as a great way to relax, network, or deal with imposter syndrome. It can calm the nerves, feels like it boosts creativity, and help us de-stress. Sadly, it can also get out of hand, cause regret, waste time and money.

Alcohol does have an impact. If you’re not happy, or are struggling to achieve your goals, it may be time to quit drinking and see what happens. Recently, Justin Kan, the 35 year old that sold Twitch to Amazon for $1 Billion, has stated that he has given up alcohol as it was preventing him from being fully in touch with his emotions and his experience of life.

Other big names such as Warren Buffet, Tyra Banks, and Jennifer Lopez are also teetotal. It might be a struggle at first, but there will be many benefits that begin to appear over time.

Even in the short term, you will have better quality sleep, more energy and focus, as well as a fighting fund of additional cash. Giving up alcohol may just give you that slight edge you need to win.

3. Your Life Is Not A Soap Opera, Stop with the drama.

As human beings, we are natural storytellers. We can be happily productive and going about our day until we hear a colleague telling a story. It might be meaningless, and have nothing to do with our lives or our work, yet we need to know what happens!

As the characters fall into place and the drama unfolds, we begin to get involved in a narrative that has nothing to do with our own journey. We want to be part of the fairy tale, with the villain, the hero, the overcoming of obstacles. Sadly, what we often end up with is merely gossip. Gossip that often has nothing to do with reality.

“Anyone who will gossip to you, will gossip about you.”

We know our goal and what we want to achieve. The drama is a distraction pulling us off target. It is another form of procrastination. We may even be attracting it by mind reading and creating fictional motivations for those around us to cause us stress. We need to remove the drama from our lives and focus on creating a calm and conflict free environment that prioritizes effective communication and the reality of the situation.

Please comment

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6 Things No One Told You About Entrepreneurship

Oracle Of Success

   

6 Things No One Told You About Entrepreneurship

No one ever said that starting a business would be easy. However, even if you understand there will be challenges when you first start to develop entrepreneurial aspirations, you can’t be completely prepared for what lies ahead.

Before they reach success, every entrepreneur finds there are certain lessons which can only be learned the hard way, Here are a few of them:

1. If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward

The world is a dynamic place, and nothing is ever standing still. You have to constantly push forward and advance just to avoid falling behind. Change along with your environment or exert the strength necessary to change your environment to suit your needs. Either option will require a commitment to innovation.

Unwillingness to change doesn’t necessarily equate to perseverance; it just means that you’re going to follow your set path regardless of whether it leads to success or failure.

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” – Henry Ford

2. Some people won’t like you

Setting a goal to avoid having any enemies seems like a really nice idea. However, it’s not a particularly realistic one.

The truth is, some people simply aren’t going to like you. Bending over backwards to please everyone will only strain your quality relationships and exhaust energies on people who won’t appreciate the effort. When you are faced with someone who is committed to disliking you, it’s best to just come to terms with that fact and move on.

 3. Your priorities will probably change

Many people assume entrepreneurship and ‘being your own boss’ means exponential amounts of free time. In reality, your new business venture will likely demand more of your resources than your previous work life. As a result, some of your priorities will need to change. It’s important to recognize early on what you are and aren’t willing to sacrifice.

It’s also important to realize that just because relationships and activities change, doesn’t necessarily mean the change is for the worse. For example, occasionally, a Saturday morning with the kids might be an all-family envelope-stuffing party rather than lying on the sofa watching cartoons. That’s ok. Look for ways to maintain quality time in light of your new situation.

 4. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun

Yeah, it’s going to be tough, but that’s what makes entrepreneurship so great! If the path to success were a gentle, consistent upward incline, it wouldn’t be much of a challenge. And if it weren’t a challenge, you wouldn’t feel the sense of accomplishment or self-worth.

Remember that concept when you’re confronted with the constant highs and lows. When the going is good, take the time to look back and see how far you’ve come. When you’re feeling down and out, focus on the inevitable highs that will accompany your determination and perseverance.

 5. Your ability to be a team player is one of your most valuable assets

Personal development author Brian Tracy said, “Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, ‘What’s in it for me?’”

Teamwork is essential for success. Look for opportunities to connect with other people and strengthen both your efforts. That might mean mentoring someone, attending local networking events, presenting at industry conferences, or spurring on your coworkers and employees.

You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish when you accept the fact that two minds are better than one.

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” – Steve Jobbs

6. Consider ‘expert’ opinions, but stay true to what you know

New entrepreneurs often follow the advice provided by ‘experts,’ then later realize that advice is faulty or impossible to implement. When that happens, entrepreneurs often blame themselves. Could it be that they’re simply not good enough to make a foolproof strategy work for them? Not necessarily.

Taking advice is not a bad thing, however, you shouldn’t blindly follow what someone else says simply because they have more years’ experience than you. Take your own experiences, capabilities, and preferences into consideration. Then, use your own personal insight to evaluate the effectiveness of any suggestion before you put it into practice.

If you know something is true—whether based on your own past experience or a gut feeling, act on that knowledge. Don’t disregard what you know for what someone else says. Your own intuition, first-hand experience, or hunch got you into this situation; don’t disregard everything you’re passionate about on a whim.

There are probably hundreds of realities you’ll uncover during your entrepreneurial adventure. However, you’ll only make those revolutionary discoveries if you take a chance. Don’t sit on the sidelines, afraid and guarded, just because you are uncertain of what the future holds.

Get out there and experience life. Make your own mistakes along the way! 

What did you learn about entrepreneurship when you jumped into it? Leave your comments

Thanks for reading 

8 Habits Of Those Who Are Highly Productive.

Oracle Of Success.

   

8 Habits Of Those Who Are Highly Productive.

Ever wonder how some workplace superstars or successful entrepreneurs seem to get more done in an hour than what others are able to accomplish in a day? Fortunately, many of the habits that make these people ultra productive can be developed with enough practice.

Here are 8 habits of the highly productive people:

1. They stick to a schedule during meetings

How many times have you been in a meeting and thought to yourself, this is pointless? Why wasn’t this sent as an email? Why is everyone getting off the meeting schedule and talking about stuff that is absolutely irrelevant? People who stay on task during meetings get more done.

So whether you’re the boss, or a member of the team, make sure that the meeting doesn’t meander. Stay on agenda, get your points across, and if somebody starts to talk about where you’re going for happy hour or the newest meme circulating on Facebook, shut it down.  

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

2. They map their days like their meetings

So, you come into a meeting totally prepared. You have an agenda, you know exactly what questions have been burning in your brain, and you know exactly what you need to say to get the job done. So why don’t you come that prepared to the other events in your life?

People who plan out their day tend to be more productive. If you spend just five minutes writing down a list of the top three things that need to get done in one day, it’s more likely that it will be executed. And don’t forget that every minute spent planning is 10 minutes saved in execution.

 3. They remove themselves from the problem

People who don’t take a break from the task at hand, or remove themselves from the situation in any way tend to be too close to the problem. Therefore, the solution is harder to see. So give yourself a break, but don’t take it as an excuse to procrastinate. We all know the difference.

 4. They don’t talk about it, they are about it

A good friend of mine in college used to say, “don’t talk about it, be about it.” What he meant was when I would say vague things like, “I want to try this” or “I want to go there”, he would say to me, “don’t talk about trying it, try it.” “Don’t talk about wanting to visit a place, visit!” If you get an email? Answer it. Don’t let it sit in your inbox. That wastes more time. Either act on it, or delegate it away.

 5. Learn to say no

The biggest thing getting in the way of any person achieving their goals is taking on too much. Whether it’s too much at work, or too much at home, being a martyr in that sense is the biggest productivity buzz kill. The best skill you can learn is to learn when to tell people no.

Sometimes saying no to someone does not mean you are a bad person or a lazy person, it just means whatever they’re asking you to do will not make you the best version of yourself. The best version of yourself has time to concentrate on the projects you’ve already said yes to.

The best version of yourself has time to take that long bath you always look forward to, or to take your kids to soccer practice. While being a yes-man might seem like a good idea at the time (because let’s face it, who wants to be that guy at the office?), highly productive people know that spreading yourself too thin gets you nowhere.

 6. Sleep more

If you don’t take care of yourself how are you going to take care of anybody else? While we might think we can get more done by sleeping less, (that gives us more hours in the day, right?) but studies show that when you have a lack of sleep, your ideas aren’t as good, your brain is less sharp, and in general you are less productive. Productive people take care of themselves and make sure to create an optimal sleep environment.

 7. Make your long-term goals your short-term goals

When you make a very vague long-term goal, they are harder to achieve. Because saying that you want to be CEO of your company, or that you want to get a record deal isn’t specific enough. That gives you as a person the leeway to give up.

Now if you have a short-term goal that actually is attainable that will propel you to your long-term goal, you are more likely to attain your long-term goal because the short-term goals are easier, and the sense of satisfaction you get from attaining the short-term goals will drive you to continue to push to not only make more short-term goals but to achieve the long-term goal at the end of the road.

“All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose.” – Brian Tracy

8. They make it home for dinner

We are more than our job and we are more than our goals. We are fathers, we are sons, we are sisters, we are athletes, and we are spouses. People who lose sight of that, will never make it. So whatever that means to you, whether it’s making sure that you get home every night to have snuggle session with your kitty, or it means spending time on the phone with your mom, the things that feed our soul keep us going.

And trust me, it’s easy to procrastinate when there is nothing else driving you to be the best version of yourself that you can be.

How do you stay productive? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below!

Thanks for reading.

9 Tips to Keep Yourself and Your Team Motivated While Working From Home.

Oracle Of Success

9 Tips to Keep Yourself and Your Team Motivated While Working From Home.

The entire world is now faced with the COVID-19 pandemic. Since this respiratory illness is highly contagious, especially in places with multitudes of people, more and more companies are now encouraging their staff to start working from home to mitigate the spread of the highly contagious disease.

For some, doing online work from home can be a breeze but to others, it would be a totally new experience and may find it a bit challenging to focus and actually be productive. The good news is that there are a few essential tips that you and your team can practice to help you balance working from home while staying productive and disciplined. Working from home requires a lot of discipline and comes with its perks. However, it is also easy to pick up bad habits along the way.

This post will give you 10 tips on how to go about it and how to motivate your remote workforce to work from home during the current COID-19 lockdown:

1. Start your day right

This means that you start your day bright and early, just as you would on your normal workday, except that you will be working from home. Encourage your team to follow this trend too. Although your home office desk could be steps away, you need to transition from the mood to a working mood.

Getting to work on time starts your day on the right footing and prevents you from slipping into the bad habit of waking up late, which could easily turn into a routine. Furthermore, the morning hours are the most productive hours for most people.

2. Dress the part

For you to achieve success, you first need to dress for success. This is one way of personifying a work-from-home ethic. Try as much as you can to avoid just rolling off your bed and heading over to your work station in pajamas. Pajamas have the slack effect and you will carry that all through the day.

You need to take a shower, look clean and fresh and clad in something functional and comfortable. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a suit. You will effectively adopt the character of what you are wearing.

3. Schedule your team tasks and goals

Creating a schedule helps you map out the activities of the day and the objectives you hope your team will achieve in that week. You need to indicate the steps you expect your team to follow to help them accomplish the set tasks.

Set goals and tasks in a way that they are achievable and manageable. This ensures that the team works within the schedule and avoids rolling over unfinished tasks. Such rollovers only lead to fatigue and stress because of playing catch up. This can be detrimental to the performance of the team

Structure the day with the standard business hours to help your team enforce some self-discipline.

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” – Walt Disney

4. Focus is key

When working from home, you are bound to face a lot of distractions. You can have access to social media, the internet, TV, video games and more. Ensure that you focus on the task at hand until you finish it first.

Try and enforce discipline among your team members so that they stay focused, at least through the time they are required to work. From time to time, you will get some sudden urges to do something and that is normal. Ensure that you first finish your task before you do anything else.

5. Work out

Working from home means that you will be sedentary most of the time because there is minimal walking or moving around. Being sedentary isn’t as much of a health risk but dampens your motivation and discipline. Therefore, since you create your own schedule, include some time to work out. Working out will help in terms of boosting your energy and productivity along with getting you ready for the day.

6. Set clear expectations for the team

Working from home means more flexible hours for the team. Therefore, to ensure that they are more engaged and responsive during certain hours of the day, you need to clearly communicate your expectations. Additionally, you also need to periodically check in on them to ensure that your expectations are still aligned with their engagement.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain

7. Remember to socialise

This works for both you and your team. People easily get lonely working from home because they are isolated with no colleagues around them. You are bound to miss the daily banter at the tea point and the basic element of social interaction. Therefore, when you and the team are done with the day, encourage everyone to meet friends online and interact. It will help boost everyone’s psyche and productivity.

8. Earn rewards

Working from home gives you the freedom to do whatever you want. Nevertheless, for you to achieve anything significant, you need to discipline yourself to be more productive than binge-watching your favourite TV show. Instead of watching six episodes in a row, do something constructive then reward yourself with an episode then get back to work. You can also have an hour of video gaming.

9. Watch the team’s stress levels

Managing stress levels while working remotely can be a challenge. Always try your best to ensure that stress doesn’t get in the way of your team’s productivity. Always encourage the team to stick to their set schedules and find ways to resolve any arising problems to prevent future stressors. Everyone needs to understand that success takes patience.

Working from home requires discipline and focus to achieve goals, not just for you but your remote workforce too. Using the above tips will help you and the team to stay motivated to achieve your goals. 

Thanks for reading

Please comment.

6 Ways To Overcome Your Fear Of Failure As A Startup Entrepreneur.

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6 Ways To Overcome Your Fear Of Failure As A Startup Entrepreneur.

Many would-be entrepreneurs let their fear of failure stop them from starting a business. Maybe it’s because of all the statistics we’ve heard (you know, the ones that tell us that 90% of all new businesses fail within 3 years, or something along those lines).  

There are many reasons why a business fails (and just so you know, it’s not the end of the world when it does), but the fear of failure alone should never be enough to justify not starting one. It is perfectly natural to have feelings of uncertainty about what you’re getting yourself into as you become an entrepreneur. The trick is to not let those feelings paralyze you and keep you from taking action.  

The only way to truly overcome a fear is to face it. You must decide to take action in spite of your fear. Yes, that fear will reappear from time to time, but the good news is you can learn to ignore it and stay focused on building your dream.

Here are 6 strategies to help you overcome your fear of failure as a startup entrepreneur:

1. Redefine what it means to fail

One of the main reasons why many aspiring entrepreneurs allow the fear of failure to stop them from starting their business is because they view failure as something that is negative. Interestingly enough, if you study the lives of successful entrepreneurs you will discover that in most cases their careers were riddled with “failures” before they succeeded.

Failure is not the opposite of success. It is a part of success. A failure is nothing more than a result that you get that you do not want. It is neither good nor bad, it is just feedback. By learning from feedback, and continuing to take action and make decisions that produce more feedback, you eventually learn precisely the lessons you need to learn to earn your success.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

2. Stop comparing yourself to others

Every industry has a select group of individuals and companies that rise to the top of that industry. One of the most effective ways to succeed quickly is to learn from their approaches and emulate them. In fact, it is wise to study the successes (and the failures) of entrepreneurs in general, regardless of what business or industry they are in. Just be careful not to compare yourself to them.

In order to build a unique business, you must hold on to your uniqueness as an individual. It is unwise to compare yourself to others for the simple reason that you are not them, and you shouldn’t try to be them either. Admire the success of others, but don’t envy them. Respect the results that other entrepreneurs are able to create, but focus your attention on the results that you want to create.

 3. Just keep going

Another effective way to overcome your fear of failure is to take action in spite of fear. When doubts, fears, or any other negative thoughts enter your mind just stay focused on taking action. Fear is a common feeling when you do things you have never done before. When you try something new, you leave your comfort zone – you enter the unknown. But instead of retreating back to your comfort zone whenever you feel fear, embrace that fear and praise yourself for having the courage to step into a new, unfamiliar experience.

By facing your fear head on, and continuing to take action, your comfort zone expands and eventually that new experience becomes a familiar experience and the fear will subside. Successful entrepreneurs have learned to use fear as a motivator to keep moving forward. Whether it’s the fear of failure, the fear of rejection, the fear of mediocrity, or the fear of poverty, they purposely use that fear to fuel their motivation to succeed.

“I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

4. Don’t focus on problems, find solutions

Never forget that businesses exist to provide products or services that solve specific problems to the marketplace. To succeed as an entrepreneur, you must learn to embrace problems, but not focus on them. Learn to perceive every problem as an opportunity to create a solution, to fill an unfilled need.

If your employees are complaining about specific challenges, there may be an opportunity there. If your customers are having challenges in certain areas or with certain products, there may be an opportunity there. If your suppliers are complaining about something, there may be an opportunity there. The more problems that you and your business are able to solve, and the more people you are able to solve them for, the more you will be rewarded (financially and otherwise) for providing those solutions.

 5. Stay positive

Another important point for overcoming your fear of failure as a startup entrepreneur is to maintain a positive attitude always. As a leader of an organization and as the visionary for the future of your business, you must remain focused on the possibilities of the future and not so much the challenges of the present.

Expect setbacks and obstacles and know that overcoming them are the price you must pay to succeed. Your team will be looking to you for encouragement during difficult times, and so you must never fail to display a positive, optimistic attitude.

Keep in mind that a positive attitude alone will not be enough to save your business from failing (would a positive attitude alone have saved Blockbuster from failing as Netflix emerged?). It is important to acknowledge market conditions for your business and face certain facts that may not be ideal. You must operate from objective reality, but lean on your positive attitude to look for the hidden opportunities within that reality.

“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” – Robert T. Kiyosaki

6. Start small and count your successes

The final strategy for overcoming your fear of failure is to start small, achieve positive results, and build on that momentum. You may have the expression “go big or go home”. Many people have used this expression to justify taking massive action or taking no action at all. In some scenarios this is a wise approach, but for many startup entrepreneurs it is better to begin with smaller goals – goals such as setting up your website, launching a crowdfunding campaign, or acquiring your first customer – and then building on those successes.

Success breeds success. By consistently achieving positive results on a smaller scale, you build momentum. That momentum is what will help to create the larger successes later.

How do you overcome your fear of failure as a startup entrepreneur? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below!

Thanks for reading.