As an entrepreneur there are so many distractions that can take your attention that you can quickly get off track from reaching your goals. As a young entrepreneur, it can be 100 times worse! It’s important that you stay focused, driven, and headed towards your goal because no one will just hand you want you want in life; you’ll need to take control and get there yourself.
A few normal distractions that we as young entrepreneurs face:
- School – Probably the biggest distraction you could face at a young age.
- Relationships – Boyfriends and girlfriends can easily get you off track and take up a lot of your time. Learn to balance the relationship and set some ground rules for when you need to be focused on your business.
- Friends – During school you’re friends are always looking to be going out, partying, drinking, and getting crazy. After you graduate, it doesn’t change too much but it may slow down some. Saying “no†to your friends is a hard thing to do but if you’re going to be starting a business while also working a job after graduation, you need those evening hours and weekends to hustle and grow your business.
- Life – Sometimes you just may not feel like doing any work or just want to have a normal relaxed evening. That’s fine; just don’t let it happen every day, otherwise your ambitions of starting your business up will quickly slip away.
- Sports Fan? – Are you a big football fan? Don’t waste 4 hours on a Sunday sitting in front of the TV drinking and eating, being non-productive and wasting your time. Either record the games, read the highlights the next day, or leave it on in the background while working. For young entrepreneurs, especially dudes, sports can be a major distraction…almost every night of the week. Don’t let it overcome your life like many people do. Watching a 4 hour football game won’t better your life; building your business will.
- Work – I know, it sucks. There’s no two ways about it. If you’re an entrepreneur and stuck working a normal “9-5†type job, you’re just itching to get out and leave that place.
In all of these cases, it comes down to one thing – your passion for your business and future. If you’re passionate about your business, then you HAVE to keep moving on and not let these distractions get in your way. Now, on the flip side, it’s also important that you do have a life outside of your business, don’t think that I’m suggesting you don’t.
There has to be a balance of work and play, and you should try to not blur that line as much as possible. If you are passionate about what you are working on it, then it will be easy to stay driven and focused. This is the key to success, and everyone is talking about it! Being passionate about your business, your baby in most cases, is what makes the difference for most people. Just working something on the side for a couple hours on a weekend is cool and all, but you’re clearly not passionate about it. If your driven, you’re going to be working on that business ever moment that you are awake.
Are you focused on your success?
Very helpful words, thank you. I’ve formed a group with some friends where we meet periodically to discuss our goals and how they’re coming along. This group really helps to keep my goals in sight, otherwise they tend to get pushed aside with all those distractions.
In fact, I have an inquiry, maybe you can advise me? I’ve been involved with entrepreneurship for about three years now, and as exciting as it is and will always be to me, my college studies are not going in that direction, and it feels as if my life is also straying away from it. Do you think I should back out of entrepreneurship for the time being, in order to explore the other parts of life I want to? If you have any advice I would greatly appreciate it.
This is an interesting topic and a well-written post. Many young entrepreneurs just quit because they can’t remain focused on their activity, they don’t know how to deal with distractions, and worse, they often don’t spot them.
Chris, I’ve just sent you an email, would be great if you could come back to me !
Many entrepreneurs have been there – finding
time to start a side business when you have a daytime job. An interesting film documented today young entrepreneurs.
”The YES Movie” http://www.TheYESmovie.com by Louis Lautman
A very good post! Very well said. Setting up the goals and making it real is one way of becoming a successful entrepreneur. Nice post!
Staying focused as an young entrepreneur is bit challenging as you have many things to look after when young like friends, parties , clubs etc..