![\"The](\"http:\/\/snapreads.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/The-road-to-character.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThe Road to Character<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
by David brooks<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u23f1 15 minutes reading time<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ud83c\udfa7 Audio version available<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Buy on Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The willingness to take risks is one of the most valuable skills a business owner needs. As a matter of fact, if you\u2019re not willing to take risks, then you might want to reconsider being an entrepreneur. In many cases, it\u2019s safe to say that if it weren\u2019t for the risks that some business owners took along the way, they would never have reached what they currently have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And, keep in mind, this is not to say that you should take any risk that presents itself. It\u2019s all about careful calculations and the consideration of an underlying motivation before deciding if the risk is worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might be wondering, why is it so important that you take risks? Isn\u2019t it just safer to avoid risks — especially ones that put everything on the line?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, in a nutshell, when you don\u2019t take risks, you\u2019re going to spend your life with the question \u2018what if\u2019 lingering at the back of your mind. Those decisions might haunt you, and despite the fact that no one can know ahead of time if taking the risk will pay off, it shouldn\u2019t steer you away from taking them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most entrepreneurs and business owners have a drive to succeed. They want to see their business, which they started from practically nothing, become an established business and are willing to do everything within their power to make that happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They are always working to improve their skills and are willing to do things that others would consider unreasonable to achieve their goals and succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s fair to say that being confident is a trait that everyone should have in life and it\u2019s equally as important when it comes to being a business owner. When you\u2019re confident, it means that you know you\u2019re capable of being a business owner and are confident in your abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To view things from a different perspective; you might be someone who\u2019s innovative, willing to take risks, and have everything it takes to be a successful owner– everything but confidence. So, when you\u2019re bringing something to the table to share with others but lack confidence, people will not fully trust you because if you don\u2019t believe in yourself, why would anyone else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the flip side, successful business owners are so confident that they will never let anything stand in their way because they believe in themselves. They are not plagued with fear that they won\u2019t succeed, and others respect them for that. And, being confident is much more than knowing your strengths, it\u2019s also about knowing your weaknesses and limitations, and acknowledging them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since we\u2019ve mentioned confidence, let\u2019s not forget that there\u2019s a fine line between confidence and arrogance– a fine line that people often mistake. Unlike confident people, arrogant people strongly believe that they have nothing to learn from others and will often act like know-it-alls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They feel superior to others and won\u2019t stop talking about their achievements, skills, and abilities when most of the time, all that bragging is masking their insecurities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being self-motivated is easier said than done. It\u2019s easy to start your journey as a business owner with all the motivation in the world. But, this journey is not a walk in the park and there\u2019s no doubt that there will be times where you\u2019re tempted to give up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re not capable of being your own motivator and maintaining a mindset that will allow you to keep going and work effectively, you won\u2019t be able to attain the goal of a successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No one said that having self-motivation is easy– in fact, it\u2019s the hardest thing you can do. So, the first thing you need to do to find your self-motivation is to find the things that keep you going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, there are people that are motivated by tangible rewards, whether it\u2019s the money or the status that they\u2019re going to achieve when they succeed, and that is exactly what keeps them going. For others, it\u2019s more about internal factors, like the feeling of satisfaction of achieving their goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While we\u2019re on the topic of motivation, the ability to bounce back from setbacks and developing resilience go hand in hand with self-motivation. Business owners will be told \u2018no\u2019 countless times through their journey and they will experience setbacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, their resilience in spite of struggling will keep them going. If things don’t go the way they wanted them to, successful business owners will never dwell on those things. They will figure out what went wrong, learn from their mistakes so that they won\u2019t repeat them in the future, and move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There isn\u2019t a better person to be inspired by than inventor Thomas Edison. His teachers told the light bulb inventor that he was too stupid to do anything. He was even fired from his first two jobs for being non-productive– and it didn\u2019t end there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While inventing the light bulb, he made 1000 failed attempts before he finally got it right. And, when he was asked how it felt to fail 1000 times, he replied; \u201cI didn\u2019t fail 1000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1000 steps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back in the 14th century, 21-year-old Moroccan scholar Ibn Battuta was raised by a family who valued education. However, in Tangier, the city he was born in, there wasn\u2019t a place where he could continue his education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what did he do to overcome this problem? Well, Ibn Battuta decided to go on a journey to find the best teachers and the best libraries on the planet. He travelled for 30 years and 75,000 miles to find them, all for the sake of his interest in learning. Or, in other words, for the sake of his relentless curiosity, he was able to become one of the most remarkable travellers in the history of humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How does this all come to play when it comes to business owners?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Relentlessly curious people are not content with the knowledge and skills they already have. They\u2019re always on the hunt to learn more and understand how things work in order to improve their own abilities. They seek answers from experts; valuable answers that will help them take their business to the next level. They\u2019re driven by this curiosity to find ways to improve and won\u2019t hesitate to ask questions or find out what their competition is up to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might not realize how important being a people person is when it comes to business owners; it\u2019s a valuable trait to have. Even if you are the best business owner out there, if you have a bad attitude, you won\u2019t be able to sell your product, yourself, or your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Being approachable and easy-going will go a long way for countless reasons. Not only does it make life much easier for your employees, but it will also help your business grow as a result of building positive relationships<\/a> with your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Motivation and the drive to succeed can only take you so far if you don\u2019t have goals you\u2019re working to achieve. So, being goal-oriented is a valuable trait that will have a massive impact on your business. When you know what you want and have goals, your focus will be on completing tasks that will eventually lead you to that goal. And when we\u2019re talking about goals, we\u2019re talking long-term as well as short-term goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the Snapreads app, you get the key insights from the best nonfiction books in minutes, not hours or days. Our experts transform these books into quick, memorable, easy-to-understand insights you can read when you have the time or listen to them on the go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nBe Willing To Take Risks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Have a Drive to Succeed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Be Confident<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Be self-motivated<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Be Resilient<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Be Relentlessly Curious<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Be a People Person<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Be Goal-Oriented<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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