Do you really want to start a business but just can’t seem to get started?

If so, your lack of action is probably the result of wrong thinking. ‘Wrong thinking’ is any thought that you have that delays or impairs your ability to take action. Wrong thinking over-complicates a process (the process of starting a business) that does not need to be complicated!

The process of starting a business is a simple one. It involves:

1. deciding on a business idea
2. refining your business idea so that you understand the ‘who, what, when, where and how’ of what you are trying to accomplish
3. taking constant action

Many aspiring business owners fail to become business owners because they cannot seem to make it past Step 1 (or even worse, fail to make it to Step 1 at all!).

A lot of the time, this comes down to one (or more) of five thoughts that seriously impair your ability to take action. These thoughts are:

I need to ‘find my passion’ first!

‘Finding’ passion is a ridiculous concept, as passion (by its very nature) is NEVER hidden. You absolutely know what you are passionate about, and you may be conflicted because none of these passions seems to work as a business idea.

Deciding on a business idea does not need to have anything to do with passion. Rather, it has everything to do with who you are as a person, what you are capable of, what you want to achieve, your financial situation, resources and much more!

You will never find passion by searching for it. Passion is a result of taking action on your goals and seeing the fruits of your efforts.

If you think you need to find your passion before you can start your business, think again! Start your business first, and you will be filled with passion after.

I don’t have enough money!

Do you ever stop to think about why you don’t have enough money to start a business?

Could it possibly be because you spend your entire day consuming the creativity of the people around you, without offering any creativity in return?

People rarely understand the concept of ‘creativity give and take’. Everything you use on a daily basis and every service you pay for whilst you sleep (electricity, phones, internet, and so on) are the result of someone else’s creativity; and you are paying for it. Who is paying for your creativity?

Don’t allow a lack of money to stop you from starting a business. There are plenty of ways to start a business without a lot of money – it just takes dedication and a little extra creativity! And once you start to provide this creativity to the people around you, the issue of money will (over time) begin to diminish.

I’m too tired to start a business!

Unfortunately, being too tired to make an effort on your business goal is usually the result of not having started your business in the first place.

Being too tired often happens because what you are doing in your daily life is against your natural inclination. You may be in a job you hate, be doing something that is not expanding your mind, or have simply allowed yourself to get into a ‘rut’.

People are rarely very tired because they are too busy. They are tired because they are depressed. If you start your business and decide to start pursuing what you really want, then the creative energy that fills your body and your mind will destroy that tired feeling and you will achieve more than you ever thought possible.

So do whatever you have to do to push yourself to get started. Because starting is the only way to rid yourself of constantly feeling tired.

I don’t like my business ideas!

If you keep coming up with business ideas and discarding them, it may not be the idea that’s wrong…it might be your approach.

Business ideas are like bright, shiny new objects. They look great at the start, you can’t wait to make them yours, and you are sure that if you could just get hold of them – your life would be so much better! However after a while, they lose their appeal. They start to require a bit of work, problems begin to appear and before long, you are looking for a different shiny, new object that will give you that great starting feeling again.

If you have been doing this, stop now. You could spend the rest of your life coming up with great business ideas and discarding them. That will not change your life. Next time you are about to discard a business idea, ask yourself whether the next one is really going to be ‘better’, or whether you are giving up on the one you have too soon.

I don’t know what the next big thing will be!

Waiting to start a business because you think you need a revolutionary idea is as ridiculous as trying to uncover your passion.

The next big thing is what you make it. Determining the future of consumerism is the job of existing business owners (to ensure they can evolve their product or service and survive). As an aspiring business owner, your job is to come up with a business idea that suits you.

The next big thing could be a fantastically packaged cheesecake! It does not matter. Forget trying to come up with ‘the next big thing’ and just pick something that is right for you. This will give you a much greater chance of success in the future.

So, do any of these thoughts resonate with you? If so, take stock of them and decide once and for all that you will not let them prevent you from taking action any further.

Yes, deciding to make a change in your life is scary. Worrying about failure can be terrifying. But do you know what is even more terrifying? Living a life of unrealized dreams.