Know, Accept. Believe in, and Love Yourself

 Each person who has ever become extremely successful in business and in life has had one important and unmistakable trait in common: each knew, accepted, believed in, and loved themselves. Knowing, understanding, and loving one’s self is the bedrock upon which true wealth, prosperity, and personal success are built. But, knowing, understanding, and loving one’s self can be extremely difficult because there are so many distractions around that most people don’t take the time to figure themselves out until much later in their lives. The busyness of life—earning a living, raising a family, coping with the stresses and strains in life—often overwhelms people, so that when they get the chance to assess themselves, they’re too physically tired or mentally exhausted to do so.

Because you’re on the path to becoming a successful entrepreneur, you must take the time to get to know, understand, accept, and love who you really are. You need to make a list of all your strengths—1) those things you do really well; 2) those skills and abilities that you bring to the table; 3) those qualities that showcase your greatest character traits; 4) those qualities that show off your best people skills; and 5) those situations that allow you to do what you enjoy most. Then make a brief mental note about your weaknesses—1) those things you don’t do well; 2) those skills and abilities that you can’t bring to the table; 3) those qualities that showcase your greatest character flaws; 4) those qualities that expose your worst people skills; and 5) those situations that make you do what you hate. Although you should write down and keep a copy of all your strengths, you should NEVER write down your weaknesses—if you do, they will become worse! Just make a quick mental note of them so that you can avoid situations where they may come into play. (Feed your strengths and starve your weaknesses. Be sure that you NEVER divulge your weaknesses to others—they will always hold them against you!)

Build who you are now on the foundation of your strengths. Just as you are no longer a baby in diapers, a 7-year-old playing ball on the sandlot, or a teenager rebelling against your parents, you are not who you used to be! You are ever-changing, ever-evolving, and always getting better, smarter, wiser, and surer of yourself and the gift that you are to the human race. Learn to encourage yourself, accept yourself, and love yourself so that you can encourage, accept, and love others. Love must start with you—know yourself so that you can love yourself and the people with whom you will do business.