Conquer the Chaos, 2nd Edition

4Mindset

Small business chaos is in the mind even more than in the physical world. That's why your ability to overcome the negative thoughts and emotions that inevitably arise inside of you as an entrepreneur is the number one Key to Success in your business and personal life. Neglect this key and it's only a matter of time until you melt down as an entrepreneur. I'm sorry to be so direct, but it's true. I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't tell it to you straight.

Wrapped up in the small business chaos, entrepreneurs are subjected to a tremendous amount of disappointment and negativity. If it were easy, everyone would do it. As you create a business, build your product or service, take it to the market, and serve your customers, there are so many pitfalls and challenges along the way. Then there's all the stuff you're trying to learn: you're drinking from a firehose, running fast, wearing all the hats as you try to make the business work. And we haven't even mentioned your personal life you're trying to balance. So how you deal with these challenges, mentally and emotionally, has everything to do with your success.

To overcome chaos and create order in our minds as entrepreneurs, we need to understand the concoction of thoughts, words, emotions, and beliefs that live inside of us. Because it's these thoughts and emotions that lead to our actions, which determines whether we are successful. When I was a teenager, my dad taught me a critically important life lesson. ...