Do you feel like you are your own biggest critic? Have you ever thought you were the one holding yourself back? Take comfort in knowing that you are not alone in this situation. Everyone once felt like that and many will still feel this way. That “holding back” is like a brake that has been graciously installed in us to help us to think twice before taking an action. Sadly, many people end up never lifting their legs off the brakes.This can also happen to you to whenever you think of starting a business. Many just believe they cannot start a business, talk more of successfully running one. This is why I emphasize that the business person is more important than the business. The business takes its cue from who runs. So, if you have ever doubted too if you could start a business, here is a quick check you can run on yourself.1.Vision: Vision is the ability to spot opportunities. It is the ability to see new angles to a situation. What can you see when a situation unfolds before you? For instance, if the government bans motorcycles and replaces it with tricycles, do you complain about the change or you see an opportunity to make money from it? Vision is what you can in the midst of confusion and happenings that you do not like. It is what will position you to gain from a situation that could have been a disadvantage to you.2.Passion: Passion is what holds your attention. Now, everyone has passion. There is something that gets your attention and which can keep it for hours without you keeping track of time. There are people who lead passionless life. They can’t seem to find what drives them. You need to identify what is yours. Once you do, you will naturally leave the class of people who struggle to get things done because it will become fun to you.3.Persistence: This is determination and patience all rolled in to one. Have you ever been faced with a problem that you refused to quit till you solved it? If yes, congrats! You have persistence to keep going irrespective of the hurdles that come your way. Persistence does not see quitting as an option because it intends to meets the set goal. Life is full of ups and downs. Same with your career and relationships. Business is not any different. There will be hurdles in your way, but t is persistence that will keep you moving. 4.Planning: After you have developed your vision, you need to plan. Don’t just envision goals and then go to sleep. If you do, what you have is wishful thinking and not a vision. Real vision will make you want to plan and work to see it come true. So, are you good with planning? Can you break down what looks like a huge task into tiny pieces and then handle them bit by bit? This is where you develop the methods and action points to achieve the vision. Careful planning will ensure that your vision will become a success. 5.Confidence: This is a natural result of having done the above. Admit it: don’t you just feel nervous about something that you didn’t prepare for? That feeling of inadequacy comes because you have not planned in advance for it. Once you do, you need to believe in yourself and in your goal. Believe that your goal is possible and believe in yourself that you have something valuable to offer..6.Risk-taking: Once someone hears about taking risk, the person shrinks on the inside. We have been conditioned to believe that taking risks is dangerous. But you take plenty risks every single day without ever considering that you are taking a risk. The idea of taking a risk is not necessarily that something will fail. The real picture is that what you are about to do has a chance of success and failure. Many times, the chance to succeed can be far greater than the tendency to fail. This is possible if you have done all of the above.7.Knowledge-seeker: Being a curious person is a gift. It is what propels one towards learning and discovery. To be successful, knowledge is indispensable. You need to absorb knowledge like a sponge. Be willing to read books. You need to be willing to ask questions from those who have been in it before you. No man is an island. No man is self-made. We all draw insight and inspiration from others to build our own ideas.

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