3 Signs You’re On the Right Track of Your Entrepreneurship

We all have the same journey, just different paths

I never thought I’d be an entrepreneur when I was young. Both my parents (and most of their siblings) had 9–5 jobs, and I was on my way to becoming a doctor.

Even when I made a 180-degree shift from medicine to performing arts, and heard a lot of disapproving voices — I still didn’t think of myself as an entrepreneur — Until the pandemic.

The entertainment industry was shut down. My actor friends and I lost a bunch of gigs and had to pivot. The word “entrepreneur” became one of my most frequently typed words on the search engine.

But here’s the thing: You can google as many articles on entrepreneurship as you want and still have no clue if you’re doing it right. Or — is there even such a thing as “right”?

If you look up successful entrepreneurs, you’ll find they all did it differently. If you ever worked with coaches, you’ll find not only do they coach differently, their coaching journeys are hardly the same.

So, as a new entrepreneur, how do you know you’re on the RIGHT track? Or more specifically, how do you know you’re on YOUR RIGHT TRACK?

Here are 3 signs to look out for:

You Find It Much Easier to Say NO

When you zero in on what you really want, you will find it much easier to say NO to distractions.

Obvious outside distractions such as your kids and pets are easy to be aware of. But hidden distractions are the real enemy of your entrepreneurship:

1. You’re always looking for “the next exciting thing”
2. You cannot stay on “difficult” tasks
3. You waste time and energy on unimportant decisions

These hidden distractions often come from inside — You’re not comfortable and your brain tells you to stop and seek comfort!

What can we do when our brains keep creating mental chatters to distract us?

1. Know that the right things are not easy. Our brains will tell us to do easy things instead. Don’t give in.
2. Give yourself time to think and feel before committing to something new. A no followed by a yes will make you better than the other way around.
3. Check in with your body.

“It’s only by saying No that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.” — Steve Jobs

Check out Nir Eyal’s Indistractable — I’ve learned a TON from it!

More People Who Share Your Passions Show Up

When I switched to acting from medicine, I found a lot of artists who quit academia or corporate jobs. They inspired me to follow my heart.

When I started playwriting, I met a handful of playwrights who, like me, either have an acting background or write in their second language. They helped me eliminate limiting beliefs around writing.

When I had my first foster dog suddenly I met so many dog parents and animal advocates. They added more love to my life.

When I hopped on Medium, I was thrilled to find so many wonderful writers who speak directly to my heart. I learn from them and collaborate with them.

Everything is about relationships, but relationships take time to develop. So show up for yourself, and show up for your people.

Show up to give, to share, to inspire. Keep adding value to their lives, and see what happens.

“You don’t build a business. You build people and those people build the business.” — Zig Ziglar

You Feel Energised, Not Burned Out

Who says entrepreneurship equals “getting burned out”?

And although research shows women are more likely to get burned out at work than men, would you choose to be a statistic, or consciously step away from it?

As a highly sensitive person with an extremely strict upbringing, I had terrible, life-threatening anxieties from my mid-teens to mid-twenties. I know how it feels.

But here’s the thing: Our brains get used to it. Those 10+years of nightmares were deeply engrained. So I decided to:

1. Use daily affirmations to create certainty and belief.
2. Pause and take a break, whenever I don’t feel right.
3. Reward myself for even the smallest victories.

Simply because:

I know I have a choice.

I know it doesn’t have to be that way.

I know I should always prioritize taking care of myself to take care of everything else.

Remember: Feeling energized and feeling burned out is just one thought away from each other.

“The greatest weapon against stress is the ability to choose one thought over another.” — William James

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of hearts, but all the ups and downs are the flavors of life. Savor, learn, and get moving.

www.yiqingzhao.com/coaching