4 Ways to Nurture the Entrepreneurial Spirit
Entrepreneurial spirit is a mindset. It’s an attitude and approach to thinking that actively seeks out change, rather than adapting to change as it occurs. It’s a mindset that embraces critical questioning, innovation and continuous improvement. It’s about seeing the big picture, being agile and always seeking out new opportunities.
Sure, some people might have a more natural entrepreneurial knack, but the abilities and characteristics of an entrepreneur are developed and honed through an ongoing development process. All of our life experience can help us towards our goals, and it’s never too late to become an entrepreneur.
Below are 4 ways to challenge yourself that can help build and nurture an entrepreneurial spirit.
Explore your passions
Passion stimulates creativity, and creativity fosters forward-thinking. When you are passionate and creative, you set your thinking free. It’s a great way to unlock yourself from “the box” to push your thought patterns in new directions.
Practice taking risks
When you take risks, no matter how small, you learn to dismiss fear. It’s great to practice taking all kinds of risks as part of your daily life. Afraid to ask someone out on a date? Practice asking. Hesitant about changing your hair? Chop it all off. Curious but apprehensive about attending a networking event? Bite the bullet and go. These little steps help you to stamp out feelings of inner-doubt and build your confidence.
Seek out diverse life experiences
The world is a big place and there is more to explore than we could possibly ever touch in our lifetimes. You can’t do it all, but it doesn’t hurt to try! Stretch yourself by seeking out new experiences. Try a new activity. In fact, try something new as often as possible. Learn a new skill. Meet new people. Challenge yourself by trying something that seems hard, out of character, or completely foreign. Entrepreneurs learn and grow by trying and doing things.
Practice asking questions
All too often, we become complacent with our own knowledge. Stimulate your curiosity, never stop questioning the world, and never be afraid to ask questions. Even when you think you know something, ask experts their opinions. Open up your perspective and continue to learn, develop and grow.
What do you think?
To have an entrepreneurial spirit is to think anything is possible and have the tenacity to accomplish it. How do you bring innovative ideas forward? I’m interested to explore how ideas are nurtured, not criticised. Comment your views below and join the conversation.
This article was written by Jelena Milutinovic on behalf of the Australian Institute of Business. All opinions are that of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of AIB. The following sources were used to compile this article: Forbes and hkt blog
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