While it is true that humans are born with certain unchangeable orientations or tendencies, our attitude is what determines how best we fare in life. You may not have the money but your attitude sells you freely to the masses. You may not be highly educated but your attitude opens doors for you.
You may be the most talented person in the room but the slightest hint of a negative attitude can cost you million-dollar opportunities. In entrepreneurship, a positive attitude is the most valuable asset you can ever have.
The ability to see through tough times and the ability to believe in better times ahead is what often draws the line between success and failure at the start-up stage. So how do you go about fixing your innermost attitude issues? Here are 5 in-your-face facts that will help illuminate your attitude problem and change it for the better.
(1)No One Owes You an Apology for Your Current State of Affairs
Stop blaming everyone else for your problems. Instead sit down, take responsibility and plan the way forward. Remember, no one else has the power to change your life. That power is God-given and rests deep inside you. So go forth and make good use of it.
(2)Nothing Good Comes on a Silver Platter
Kenya’s popular musician Jaguar walked barefooted from his rural home and moved to Nairobi to do manual chores for survival. Tanzania’s Diamond Platinumz sold second-hand clothes (mtumba) to raise initial capital for his music business. Victor Wanyama used to play soccer in the dusty grounds of Muthurwa before he rose up the ranks to join one of English Premier League’s best teams Tottenham Hotspurs. And you are there waiting for someone to give you the secret to success on a silver platter?
(3)Money Is Not Everything
Unfortunately, we all have been brought up in a generation that glorifies monetary wealth ahead of everything else. As such, if I cannot tell you how much “quick money” you are going to make by doing a certain business you don’t feel excited enough to pursue it. And that is the problem. If your only source of motivation to become an entrepreneur is the quest for quick money you are lost. Money is not everything – the passion to thrive even when money isn’t plentiful is the engine that drives the world’s most successful people.
(4)There Is No Shortage of Money
There is no shortage of money. The only shortage we have in this part of the world is the shortage of people who are aggressive, creative and bold enough to dig for it. Kenya alone has over 12 Million people with enough purchasing power to sustain any business. East Africa alone has over 50 Million well-moneyed people who can easily convert an SME into a multimillion company. That’s why you see so many West European companies opening branches over here. That’s why you see many Chinese setting up shop all over. In short, there is no shortage of money in Africa. We only have a shortage of people who are willing to take the path least trodden.
(5)The Traffic Jam of Life
While others are busy saying there are no jobs, the future entrepreneur is busy refining his startup pitch somewhere. When everyone else in campus is mourning the loss of their entire HELB loan due to sports betting, the future entrepreneur is locked up in his hostel trying to put together a futuristic betting software. As everyone else is busy drowning their sorrows, the next great entrepreneur is somewhere trying to figure out how to break the monopoly of the few beer makers that dominate the industry. In other words, the view is always better on the other side if you choose to be a problem-solver rather than a perennial whiner.
Final Word
Bad attitude is like a flat tyre. You can’t go anywhere until you change it. Stop dreaming and start doing. As the Chinese say, the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. Let’s take charge of our own destiny and stop blaming everyone else for our very own woes. Attitude maketh man.
