If only I could believe in God
And have the almighty on my advisory board
Sometimes I wish I had God on my side. How great it would be to have the A-player of all A-players on my team, to have a guiding light and higher purpose boosting my balance sheet?
I’ve met a number of successful religious entrepreneurs, they always seem to have a sparkle in their eyes. I’m jealous of their belief, their conviction that they are doing God’s work and their business is all part of the plan. I imagine them during difficult times, still confident that God is listening, hovering above their advisory board, an exalted honorary chairperson or chairdeity.
I just have my cold hard cynicism and rationality. I have take all the risks without any faith and know that if I fail, then that’s on me - it is not part of God’s plan.
Can you fake it?
But there are also many entrepreneurs with a religious like belief in themselves and their business plan.
There’s this idea that you need to be a bit dumb to start a business. If you’re too smart you’ll realise how much work it is and how small the chances of success are so you probably wouldn’t start to begin with. But if you were dumb enough to try, by the time you realise how hard it is going to be, you’re already heavily invested and it’s too late to turn back.
Having faith is rational
So a bit of blind faith that you’re going to succeed is almost a necessary condition for starting a business.
In fact even if your idea is totally wrong, if you can still muster enough faith that the next idea will work, then you’re still in the game. And I think a lot of entrepreneurial success is down to staying in the game - it’s a hard slog and luck is always a factor, but if you keep rolling the dice, you increase your chances of rolling a six.
Mindset it also key, and having belief in yourself and what you are doing really helps keep you in a positive frame of mind.
So for rational, cynical entrepreneurs like me, the rational thing to do is to muster up a little faith. Like me, you might not be able to go as far as motivational roaring at yourself in the mirror in the mornings. But you can at least observe your thinking, and listen less to the rational pessimistic thoughts and more to the confident optimistic ones.
Of course, if you’re lucky enough to be able to roar at yourself in the mornings, then why not go for gold, aim for the skies and have God on your advisory board.