by Carl Hampton 08/04/2006  

How often have you dreamed of living a more rewarding life. Perhaps you simply want to accomplish more or maybe it’s your wish or dream to leave that lasting legacy for future generations of your family. Have you, just like so many Americans, written down those “Goals” in good faith and then put them off until tomorrow? Well, by now I am sure you are well aware that “Tomorrow Never Comes”.

America is considered by many other countries in the world as the land of opportunity, new ideas and hope and in most respects that is as true today as it was sixty years ago. Millions of Americans who spend their working lives stuck in a cubicle dream of starting their own business, odds are most will continue doing just that, dreaming. Why is that, for most it will be the fear for the unknown or are they just too afraid to give up that regular paycheck. One thing is for certain there's a lot of entrepreneurial dreaming going on out there. Is owning your own business and being your own boss the Great American Dream or your worst nightmare?!

There really is nothing that prepares us for the “real world.” If your parents were like mine, you were told to work hard at school, get good grades, find a great paying job and enjoy all the benefits along the road to retirement. The world has moved on since those days, with many of the major companies “downsizing” or “outsourcing” to cheaper overseas labor markets and as such, many Americans are now finding themselves falling well short of what they had hoped for. A high ranking police officer once told me that FEAR is the biggest crime in America today. You should never allow the fear of getting it wrong or making a mistake to stop you from getting where you deserve to be. That is a crime! The only people who never make mistakes are the people who are doing nothing. It’s as simple as that!

There are a large number of reasons why new businesses fail. The three main reasons are (1) Failure to Plan, (2) Laziness and (3) Arrogance. All of the most successful people in the world seem to use the two most precious gifts given to us, their minds and their time. They use these to great effect. The difference between success and failure is our state of mind. If you choose to believe that someone else should do everything for us because we deserve it, then you will fail. If, on the other hand, you really believe you are the master of your own destiny, then as long as you have the knowledge required there is no limit to what you can achieve.

Does it really have to be one or the other. I recently held a workshop for new business owners and almost all of them had financed their big dream, one paycheck at a time. They have used their jobs as a springboard to success. They had all understood the importance of creating and developing their markets before jumping into that great unknown. The success of most businesses depends on a product or service that has to be sold to others who need or want it. So why would you leave your current job when you have a captive market place.

For most people, starting their own business is nothing more than a distant dream, maybe they’ll win the lotto or some rich relative will die and leave them the money they need to secure the life they want. I learned from my father at a very young age that we and we alone have full control of our own destiny.

Have an opinion or a question you would like me to answer, then write me!
http://www.carlhampton.com