Anyone who has ever taken the step towards living a purposeful life and having financial independence made that move because of a dream. The practical people in the world will criticize these dreamers and point out the futility of thinking big or having a vision. Who are the role models for these practical people? Bill Gates, Donald Trump, even Oprah might fit the bill. But, ironically, each one of these successful people got to the top because they had a dream. They were not stifled by the limitations of people who could not hear opportunity knocking on their door, even when the knock reverberated so loudly that it was deafening.



I don't even remotely know any of these people; so without first hand knowledge, I'll defer to what has been discovered about successful people. Here's the secret: They not only have a clear vision of what they want, they also know what they are willing to give up or sacrifice in order to reach their goal. The key idea here is goal. They have them; something most of us live without. The value of having goals is they create focus, energy and passion. Goals keep us going when we want to call it quits; goals keep us on the path to success when the task seems too big, too difficult or too far in the future. Remember, I don't personally know Bill Gates, Donald Trump or Oprah, but I can say with certainty that each of these people had moments when they wanted to throw away the computer manual, the blueprints and the program schedule. What is different about these three is they made their commitment to their dreams, and after that decision, clarity of vision and realization of their dreams became a reality.

Wow! I bet you never thought about the Holy Business Trinity in the same synapse with quitting, struggling or feeling self-doubt. Having that thought is not meant to demean them in any way; it is reality. Like it or not, success does not come easy or without hard work. If Bill, Donald and Oprah had bad days, they probably had a lot more of them than most people. At some time in their lives, they've heard computers are not for everyone, you're fired and you're just not what we're looking for. Yes, let them be our role models, but let's look at them from the ground floor as well as the penthouse view.

What does this mean for the average entrepreneur? First, don't see yourself as ?average?. Second, see yourself in the midst of your dream. Finally, hold on to that dream, formulate your goals, generate your activity to reach those goals and remember it takes commitment.

?OK, I'll do this for six months. That should be long enough to see if this really works or if it's just another ?Live Your Dream? scam.? How long did Bill Gates work on his computer magic? How about the other two? Why is it when people think about something new, they give it a time limit? We've all know how babies learn to walk. They get up and fall down. Do they say in their heads, ?If I don't get this walking stuff down pat after XX tries, it's back to crawling for me.? I'm sure you get the point. Consistent effort over time is what it takes to be successful as an entrepreneur. This business is not filled with overnight success stories.

Being an entrepreneur is the vehicle you use when you want to journey down the road of possibilities. You're in the best of company on this trip. Don't wait another minute; act before that dream is only a distant memory.