Episode 18 (Blog Edition): Can Entrepreneurial Attributes Be Learned or Are They Only Inherent?

In this article we'll be exploring whether or not you're only born with entrepreneurial traits or whether or not said traits can be learned.

This is a question that many aspiring entrepreneurs have, and it’s an important one.

If you don’t feel like you have some of the traits like the ones we talk about here then it’d be nice to know if you can learn to have them or, if not, and if you don’t have them naturally, then you should look into some other career path.

Spoiler alert: almost everything, trait or otherwise, can be learned and implemented into our lives if we work hard enough at learning and at developing what we learn. Let’s look into the matter further...

No one possesses all of the traits

There's absolutely no one in the world that was born with all of the traits necessary for an entrepreneur to succeed. All of the successful entrepreneurs we hear about all the time had to put in the time and the effort to learn and develop the traits that didn’t come naturally to them.

You know the saying, “where there’s a will, there’s a way”? Well, this is very true. All of the successful entrepreneurs had a strong why and passion about their business. Because of this, they were disciplined enough to pursue their dreams, learn those traits unnatural to them, and achieve their goals.

Passion and a strong why lead you on the path to success

As I mentioned in the section above, passion and a strong why are the driving forces behind every entrepreneur. All of the entrepreneurs that have “made it” have put in the time, energy and effort to make it to where they are now. They’ve put in the reps.

If you’re passionate enough about something and have a strong enough why, you'll be able to succeed; Even if you feel like you don’t possess all of the entrepreneurial traits.

Think of a time in your past that you really wanted something. That may be when you were a kid and you really wanted a certain toy, but your parents said you needed to do some things to earn it. They may have asked you to do things that you wouldn’t have enjoyed doing otherwise like washing the dishes for example. Do you remember doing those things anyway to get that toy? That's because you were passionate enough and determined enough to make it happen no matter what you had to do.

The above example is for someone that may think they're not disciplined enough or focused enough or even too lazy to be an entrepreneur. Well, if you really want it, you'll find a way to make it happen. Everyone, if motivated enough, will stick to anything until they accomplish their goals.

Put yourself in situations that force you to learn these traits

If you struggle with a trait like, say, leadership skills, then put yourself in situations that would help you learn those skills. You could put on an event like a party for a friend or loved one and make sure you’re the one in charge; meaning, you're the one that delegates the work, you're the one that others report to, etc.

This puts you in a position of leadership and will therefore help you learn what you need to learn to reach the end goal, which in this case is a successful party.

Other examples may be asking your employer to put you in charge of some project or what have you, looking for projects in your community that you could take the lead on, and so much more.

Opportunities to learn and grow are out there, you just need to look for them and pursue them.

Learn from others

Another great way to learn and develop traits is by learning from others. That can be in the form of reading books put out by successful people and implementing what the books say, or it could be done by listening to podcasts like the FIREpreneurship show, or reading blogs like this one, or watching YouTube videos like the ones we put out, or by taking a course, etc.

There's so much free content out there. And just like in the section above, you just need to look for it and consume it.

Free content isn’t the only way you should learn. They say that when you invest in yourself, you learn a lot more and you're sure to apply what you learn. There are so many great courses out there that will teach you what you need to know to succeed. If you're willing to invest in yourself, that investment will pay dividends for years and years to come.

If you're working on starting your business or have already started and feel overwhelmed and like you're doing too many things, you can follow us and read, watch and listen to our content. We'll teach you how to simplify your business and life, how to eliminate things from your business and life that you just don’t need to have, how to automate through software and systems, and how and when to delegate tasks so you can free up your time.

We'll guide you down the path to freedom through Simplification, Elimination, Automation and Delegation. We'll help you plant the "SEAD" of freedom.

Our focus here at FIREpreneurship.com is freedom. We want you to succeed and be able to buy your time back and spend your new found time doing those things you love to do with those you love. If you're interested, we would love to have you as part of our community. If not, I wish you well and I hope this article was helpful for you.

Conclusion

If you feel like you don’t have what it takes to be an entrepreneur, don’t get discouraged. You can learn. If you really take the time, apply yourself, and invest in yourself, you'll be able to learn and develop those traits you feel you lack. Take advantage of all of the resources out there so you can live your dreams.

If you feel overwhelmed and lazy about pursuing your dreams, then I would recommend you do some soul searching to discover if you're really passionate about your goals and dreams and to discover whether or not you have a strong enough why behind your what (business idea).

Ask yourself, why am I getting into this? Why do I have this idea? What do I want to do with it? What do I want to accomplish with it? Is it just so I can get rich? Or do I really want to help others? Here’s a helpful tip: when you really want to help others, they'll really help you.

I know I said this before, but it’s important; if you're passionate and have the right why, you'll always have what it takes to succeed. Remember, if you want something enough, you'll find a way to make it happen just like you did when you were a kid and wanted that toy.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope it helped you. If you're looking for some support in your business, we would be happy to help. If you'd like to be a part of the conversation, you can leave a comment below or send us an email entitled “voicemail” at info@firepreneurship.com and send a voice recording, we may include it in a future podcast episode. You never know.