Seize the day! Carpe Diem! Live like nobody’s watching. Yeah, that’s exactly how I choose to live my life.

I was raised by safe, practical parents. I love my parents and they were great. Without them, who knows how I would have turned out. But they were traditional, and traditional parents and unconventional children often make for a bad mix. Fortunately, though they tried to raise me to get a job, be a productive citizen and live a normal, traditional life, I chose to remain that free spirited, hard headed child. You see, I’m an entrepreneur at heart. From the time I was a child, I always knew working from someone else was not an option. My grandparents (though I only knew my maternal grandfather, my other grandparents died before I was born) were entrepreneurs in some way or another. And that trickled down to me. So I’ve always felt that I had an obligation to live my purpose.

With the economy in shambles, it’s so easy for someone to default to getting a “job” instead of holding out for their entrepreneurial pursuits. Children, bills, rent, eating all put a fear into people that makes them run to a job. I’ve had my ups and downs over the years and I’m by no means a millionaire (yet). But I never gave up. When faced with the harsh reality of having to feed my child, not lose my home and forgo medical coverage, I did what any entrepreneur in my situation would have done. I dug in harder and made it work. And look at me now.

Here are five ways to fight through and overcome obstacles to living your best entrepreneurial life.

One Reality Check, please. At a certain point, you have to decide if your business is viable. Are you all in or all out? Don’t lie to yourself about the condition of your business or what could be. You have to deal with the right now. If you have written a business plan, now is the time to pull it out and either make some serious edits or scrap it altogether. Hopefully you will find ways to change up your plan and begin the rebuilding process. How will you business make money? Who are your ideal clients? If your current clients are not producing the desired revenue, it’s time to get rid of them and focus on attracting clients that will. Your business can’t survive on IOUs or bartering. Don’t be afraid to take a sobering look at what needs to be done. Trust me, you’ll thank me for it.

Expand your mind and find other options. Think of other services or products you could offer to clients. What new skills could you learn that will benefit them? What are they asking for? Sometimes clients will lament about what they wish they could have. Use this as an opportunity to go into the lab and come up with the answer to their prayers. It could be an education component, a new book, a course or a new service. Don’t stay trapped into linear thinking. Explore other options. If one doesn’t work, try something else. And keep on trying until you find that right formula. With rare exception, businesses don’t survive with a one hit wonder. Even McDonald’s serves more than just hamburgers.

Kick pride to the curb. We all need help sometimes. One of my biggest problems used to be asking for help. I am quick to give help, but slow on asking. I’ve learned to stop doing that. You are not an island. Everyone needs a little help sometimes. My Daddy used to say “a closed mouth don’t get fed”. He meant that if you really want something, you have to be willing to ask for it. I think most people choose not to ask because they fear being rejected. But I say so what. We all need to take risks. And asking for what you want or asking for help can only get you closer to getting it. Don’t let pride (or fear) keep you from reaching your goals.

Clean house. They say when times are bad people will show you who they really are. This is the time you should believe them. Get rid of negative people and influences. You shouldn’t be hanging around people who aren’t supportive to you or of your business. It’s bad enough when times are hard, you don’t need their negativity on top of that. Recognize that people are in your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Start moving people into their respective stations and make the hard decisions to get rid of some. With that negativity gone, watch how much more you accomplish.

Respect the Accountability Quotient. As an entrepreneur, you have to be accountable to yourself, your clients, your employees, your vendors and the community. Own your decisions because they affect so many more people than yourself. When confronted with a situation (good or bad) make sure you take into consideration those who will be affected by your decision. Be honest and upfront. Never try to do things behind someone’s back or out of malice. When you are wrong, don’t blame others and don’t deny. Come clean and people are more forgiving. Always remain accountable for your actions. If you must, get an Accountability Partner who can keep you honest and on track. I assign my coaching clients Accountability Partners in my program.

Live life like nobody’s looking. It frees you to be who you are to the core and allows you to go for big things, and get them. You know deep inside whether or not you are a true entrepreneur. Tap into that and don’t let others define you. You are an entrepreneur because you have a passion and a desire to make an impact. When you start letting people talk you down from that, you are giving them power over you and going against what is meant for you. Be bold, be empowered, and most importantly, go all in and go for it!

Til Next Time,

Adrienne Graham
I’m Living My Best Entrepreneurial Life & Loving It!