Why Faith Is Essential to Entrepreneurial Success

This article is by Marie Forleo of NYC. I thought it was similar to a Mixonian post written by Ruben a few weeks ago. It's certainly a message that bears repeating.


Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Do you ever wonder whether or not you should move ahead with a business idea? Do you procrastinate on your biggest dreams and find that time is passing by faster and faster?

Many of us make the mistake of suppressing our creative desires because we’re afraid. Mostly, we’re afraid of failing and looking foolish. We play it safe and get stuck in our comfort zone because we falsely think we should know exactly how our venture will turn out before we take any action.

Well guess what? The “playing it safe” mentality is deadly to your aliveness and success.

You have a creative truth that lives inside of you. And taking action on that truth before you have proof of how it will turn out is the secret to living powerfully and authentically.

When you have faith in yourself and your dreams, and take action from your truth, your inner desires become outer realities faster than you can imagine.

Faith is an essential part of entrepreneurial success. You’ve got to start exercising your faith muscles if you want to use your business as a vehicle to make the difference in the world you are meant to make.

Here are 3 key ideas that will help you strengthen your faith muscles.

1. Your Ideas Are Here for A Reason.

Isn’t it wild how passionate and alive you become when you talk about growing your business and sharing your creations with the world? That sense of aliveness around your ideas is an indicator that you’re meant to take action. It’s a signal from a greater intelligence to turn your dreams into a reality.

God (The Universe, Source, etc.) gave you unique talents and gifts for a specific reason. You are designed to create and serve others.

And as an entrepreneur, you have an incredible opportunity to use your business as a force for good and make a tremendous difference in the world. Have faith in your ideas and take action on them. Otherwise, you’re squandering the beautiful gifts your Creator has blessed you with.


2. The Universe Is Always Supporting You.

The Universe is always supporting you. If you are present in the moment (vs. lost in the chatter of your mind) you’ll always see the **perfect opportunity** to move your business (and life) ahead.

I pay close attention to what shows up in my world. Whether it’s a magazine article that leads me to a website, a workshop I feel compelled to take, or a big “scary” (a.k.a. exciting) opportunity that requires me to step up and play bigger, I do my best to take action as quickly as possible.

Take a look in your own life. Are you lost in the conversation in your mind or are you in sync with your truth and your Universe? What opportunities are in front of you right now, just waiting to be claimed?

3. Motion Beats Meditation Every Time.

What if you started playing with the idea that it was impossible for you to make a mistake? What if you couldn’t make a “wrong move?” What if all the time you spend thinking about whether or not you’ll do your project “right” (whatever that means) is just an old habit that keeps you stuck in dissatisfaction land?

What if having faith and taking consistent action was enough to radically transform your business and life?

In my experience, I’ve found that faith-based motion beats meditation every time. While I may not know what the heck I’m doing at first, consistent action allows me to gain knowledge and experience fast. And once I get moving, I’m unstoppable.

Here’s a secret: It’s a heck-of-a lot easier to change direction when you have momentum behind you vs. trying to get something started from ground zero.

As always, your entrepreneurial success begins and ends with you. Remember, having faith means recognizing the value of what you are here to contribute to the world and allowing your actions to be grounded in that truth.

© 2009 Marie Forleo, Inc.

Marie Forleo teaches women entrepreneurs how to live Rich, Happy & Hot. If you’re ready make more money, have more fun and transform the world with your business, sign up for FREE tips and articles now at http://www.marieforleo.com/

Dealing with Self Doubt

If you're like most Mixonian readers, you want to do the right thing. You want to move ahead in your profession and/or business, have warm and healthy relationships, and take care of yourself, too.

Sometimes, making the right choice is so obvious, and a lot of times it's not.

One thing I've learned from entrepreneur Marie Foleo, is how to dump self doubt. She says, assume everything you do is perfect. That way, when things come up, you deal with those things, but you're not wasting time and even more important, your energy in second guessing.

If you go to a restaurant and order a tuna sandwich, and then see a provocative hamburger, just remind yourself that the tuna is perfect for you today. You can always get a burger later.

This is from Marie Forleo's blog post of October 31, 2007:

Moving forward, I want you to pretend you’re doing your life EXACTLY right.

In fact, act as if YOU CAN’T DO IT WRONG!

Pretend that you know exactly what you’re doing and there’s no possible way you could make a mistake. Realize that closed door is really the Universe taking care of you for something down the road.

This is one of the keys to unleashing your full potential. Why? Because once you are free from the grip of self-doubt and the useless thoughts that follow, you start to go for things, create new possibilities and express yourself into the world.

If you decide to major in economics, but wonder if business would have been better, work around it. Take business courses, or change your major if you want, but don't berate yourself for starting out as an economics major. Lot's of wonderful professionals get an econ major, and go on to do fabulous things totally unrelated to economics.

What you need is faith that things will work out for the best, even if you don't control the universe. Think of it this way, no one can predict exactly what's going to unfold today. So, you know what you want to happen, you look for it, and accept that you will find the path for you.

The point is, berating yourself, or dwelling on what you should of done, is a complete waste of life. Keep moving forward!