Blind Faith

Faith is an interesting thing. It is very necessary. Yet it ain't easy. Far from it.

To succeed, as an entrepreneur, you will need very large doses of faith, because doubt is insidious and destructive.

As entrepreneurs, we are bringing new and better things into existence. We are change agents. And, this can be very difficult because humans are wired to resist change.

Psychologists would call our natural tendency to resist change the Status Quo Bias. And, it messes with our heads. Because, the job of an entrepreneur is to innovate and bring new things into the world.

The life of an innovating entrepreneur is filled with doubt. And, the only known antidote to doubt is faith.

How do we develop faith? It is a great question. And, one you must answer on your own. That said, I do have some recommendations.

One thing I know, for sure, is humans are contagious. I am just getting over the flu. And, we all know how viruses and bacteria are contagious. But, that is not all. Many aspects of humanity are contagious.

This is why it is so important to be careful with whom you choose to associate. Ideas, attitudes, and emotions are also extremely contagious. If you want to build faith, get around people who have it. Go to conferences, symposiums, etc.

Perhaps the most critical element of faith is faith in self. This might be called self-belief, or simply confidence. If you have ever been around a successful entrepreneur, I am willing to bet that person reeked of self-confidence.

Which should make sense. To succeed, as an entrepreneur, you must overcome mountains of doubt. And, in doing so, you develop a very healthy self-confidence.

So, specifically, how do we develop confidence and self-belief? In a word, incrementally. Like most things in life, we do a little at a time. And, over time, we let the compound effect kick in.

As mundane as it may sound, like most things in life, the key to improvement is practice. You see, doubt will derail your dreams, so you need to develop belief. And, the best way to develop faith is by faithing. Meaning, taking small steps, which require faith, little by little, over time.

It is like Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Do the thing and you will have the power." Forget blind faith, go for earned faith.