Permission

As an entrepreneur, you are a change agent. In no small measure, inducing change is what entrepreneurs do.

A big part of the challenge, with being an entrepreneur, is that people naturally resist change. Technically it is called the Status Quo Bias. More commonly, we say things like, "Don't rock the boat." Or, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

There exists an Indian yogi by the name of Sadhguru. He posses great wisdom. And, I recently heard him mention how our school system teaches us to be obedient. Don't rock the boat.

Unfortunately, you will not achieve your dreams by being obedient. So much of success is about giving yourself permission to disobey the rules and norms.

Obedience is a good thing in childhood. However, as an adult, obedience can be quite destructive. Sure, any society needs boundaries. We call these boundaries "laws" and they need to be followed. However, within the boundaries obedience can be suffocating.

I have heard it said that the key to success is to look at what everyone else is doing and do the opposite. That is a little overly simplistic but the point is well-taken.

A key element to business success is differentiation. The Harvard business school professor, Michael Porter, is considered the world's leading expert on strategy. And, you do not need to go to Harvard to understand what he is saying.

Porter says the key to business strategy is differentiation. Of course, a lot of people will not permit themselves to be different. It has been said that when people are free to do what they want, they usually imitate each other.

You need to give yourself permission to be different. To go against the grain. To stand out.

Here is are a few other ways you need to give yourself permission:

– If you are an entrepreneur, you are a salesperson. And, as a salesperson, you need to give yourself permission to interrupt people.

– We fail our way to success. So, you need to give yourself permission to fail. This is particularly difficult for perfectionists. Thus, perfectionists need to learn to forgive themselves for their mistakes.

– Last week, I mentioned how lonely it can be if you are ambitious. It is the road less traveled. And, you need to give yourself permission to stray from the pack. You need to give yourself permission to not be popular (at least for a while.)

However we acquire this habit, I have found that people tend to look for permission before doing things. And, it can be a real problem. You need to give yourself permission to live your life.