8 Things Entrepreneurs Do Differently

Entrepreneurship goes beyond Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. It is mostly an approach to life that favors creativity over conformity and action over inaction. Author and investor, James Altucher says that “Being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean starting the next Facebook.” Or even starting any business at all. It means finding the challenges you have in your life, and determining creative ways to overcome those challenges. It means finding the challenges you have in your life, and determining creative ways to overcome those challenges.”

So even if you’re not tinkering away at the next world-changing invention or looking to set up shop in Silicon Valley, there are aspect to the entrepreneurial mindset that will enrich your work and life. Here are 8 things entrepreneurial people do differently.

–          They’re brave enough to commit to their dreams.

• Entrepreneurs choose to forego the security and familiarity of a ‘regular job’ to live an uncertain and insecure lifestyle. It takes a lot of bravery to make that tradeoff, but for icons like Walt Disney, the potential reward is worth it.

–          They think of their customers more than themselves.

• Entrepreneurs are rarely out to seek fame for themselves. Instead, they’re more concerned with the people they want to help or the problem they want to solve. This infuses their task with a layer of meaning that can be the difference between success and failure when things get tough. A quote said by Guy Kawasaki: “In your darkest, most frustrated hours, remember the value you are trying to add to peoples’ lives, the satisfaction you’ll feel, or the cause that you’ll further.”

–          They never stop learning.

• Since they’re in the business of creating new products and inventing new ways of doing things, much of what entrepreneurs do can’t be taught in a classroom. They know that the most important lessons are learned through living, so throughout their lives, they remain open, flexible, and curious in order to absorb as much as possible.

–          They never give up.

• Rarely does an inventor or entrepreneur success on the first try. To create something lasting and worthwhile, it usually takes years of hard work, focus, and dedication. An idea is just a starting point. Persistence is a critical element of entrepreneurship.

–          They love failing.

• For most people, the fear of failure is entirely paralyzing, but for entrepreneurs, failure is something to embrace. It’s an indication of pushing the limits, and inevitable when one is constantly trying new things.

–          They find and fill a need of the world.

• Entrepreneurs want to do more than indulge their own interests – they want to solve a problem or create a product that satisfies a need. Some started businesses because of frustration with an inefficient or defective system. Others were moved by a personal encounter with poverty or misfortune.

–          They take old ideas and make them way, way better.

• While one might think that entrepreneurs are focused mainly on never-seen-before ideas, they often revamp an existing model or upgrade an outdated product. Sometimes, these reinvented ideas change the way we exercise, read, or eat.

–          Above all, they act.

• Entrepreneurs execute when for many others, an idea simply fades into the past. They are masters of turning abstract into the concrete. This seemingly simple action is one of the great challenges of life and in the end, it’s what defines an entrepreneur.

***ARTICLE WRITTEN BY JOE VAN BRUSSEL OF HUFFINGTONPOST.COM***