Having the Right Mindset

You don’t have to be an entrepreneur to have an entrepreneurial mindset.

That’s what I realized when I started to work from home. It’s quite surprising to find out how much you can do when you don’t always have to pay attention on the money that you’ll be earning at the end of the day, end of the week, or of the month. I mean, it’s already a given – you are working for money.

I was on the same boat until I realized I couldn’t always think like I was still employed by someone else – because I’m not (anymore). Besides, I didn’t want to be treated like an employee. I guess if there’s anything that I want to happen along my way – the way I want things done, the way people would treat me, the way I want to achieve my goals - it should always start from me.

And all it’s gonna take is a proper mindset.

So, how can one have an entrepreneurial mindset?

I guess since almost 95% of the population are more into obtaining security and benefits, it would be best if we distinguish first the difference between an employee mindset and an entrepreneurial mindset.

Hey, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with wanting security and benefits as an employee – I’m all for that. I guess the drawback only sets in when one wants to achieve more in terms of financial freedom. I once came across a site where the author said and I quote “Security is useless when you have to sacrifice growth to get it.”

When I started to work from home, I remember the first thing I always did in the morning even before I had my breakfast, was to check my inbox for new emails – specifically from clients who I had followed up on the previous days.

This was actually something I had no time of doing (I even hate doing it at times) when I was an employee.

I remember wanting to have coffee first before attending to any office work. For some reason, work at the office was a vicious cycle for me. I was just going through the motions – all because I had the same mindset everyday – that of an employee. Even if there was an opportunity to be proactive, I still remained reactive. Not that I complained or anything, as being reactive does not always mean expressing something negative. Initiating change, bringing innovative ideas, taking ownership --- none of those were consistently present in my system. In a nutshell, my way of thinking then was “What’s the point?”

It was only in October 2008 when I realized that an instant transition took place. I was literally selling myself – first my credentials, then my skills, then my ideas, then my ideals, then my values. It was not long after when I finally said to myself that this is what I wanted for the long haul.

I read a lot. I would work from 9am till 1am in the morning taking care of my projects and supervising my assistants. At 1 am when all of my assistants have gone home, I would start reading the sites that I bookmarked. Then again at 7:30am just before one of my assistants arrive at 9am I would read another bookmarked site. Then I would continue reading during lunch. It was work-read-work-read for me everyday and it was just addicting. What I have read just validated what my passion is all about--- what my goal in life was all about.

For the past eight years, all I did was work then (try to) save. Work then save – and that’s it. It was only four months ago that everything started to make sense.

There is no period after “save.” At least that was what I did.

Work-save-invest is now the name of the game. There’s nothing wrong with just working and saving. We live in a world anyway of risk takers and safe players. I guess what’s just amazing with applying this cycle is not only does it increase the possibility for one to have financial freedom, but it also paves the way to improve one’s skills, pursue a passion, have a paradigm shift, and change of mindset – now that’s what I’m talking about right there.

Need I say more?