Seven Steps To Unlocking Your Entrepreneurial Spirit

Sonia Jackson Myles, Founder/CEO, The Accord Group, LLC, an executive leadership advisory that works with Fortune 500 and private companies.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that life is too short to not live authentically. This rings especially true for the many entrepreneurs who’ve taken leaps of faith this past year. According to a study reported in the New York Times (paywall), the Covid-19 crisis has given way to a boom in U.S. entrepreneurship, the biggest-ever single-year increase in new businesses.

This surge in entrepreneurship can be attributed to several factors: those who saw an opportunity during the Covid-19 shutdown, those who lost jobs and pivoted out of necessity and those who used this time to seize their future and live their dreams.

I’ve coached many professionals on creating the life they want to live. I call it “designing your destiny.” For some, this has meant a successful career move, and for others, it has meant creating an entirely new business. There are many people who, like my clients, have the drive and ambition but just don’t know where to start.

Well, the secret to success is that there’s no secret. There’s no magic bullet, no red pill, no blue pill. But, there’s a formula of critical and consequential steps that can help unlock your potential and evolve your entrepreneurial spirit into entrepreneurial action.

Unlocking your best life is actually a matter of practice. I spent more than 20 years in corporate America before pursuing my dream to start my own advisory firm where I now coach executives and entrepreneurs regarding how to pursue theirs. It’s as simple as this: If you think it can happen and you create a plan, you can make it a reality.

“Dreamwalking” is the conscious process of taking your dreams and making them your reality. Below are seven simple, yet transformative, actions that you can incorporate immediately to help you break out of your own fear, find your purpose and design your destiny.

1. Purge negative energy, starting with negative self-talk. You might have picked up negative thoughts about yourself that are squashing the very essence of who you are. Being more conscious of this can help you stop the negativity in its tracks and clear the way for more productive thinking.

2. Manage your own stress. Similarly, take time to recharge. Dedicate time every day to pray, meditate or focus, and you’ll see the difference it makes.

3. Unleash your superpowers. What comes to you so effortlessly because it’s how you’re wired? Those traits (or gifts) are your superpowers, and learning how to tap into and integrate them into all aspects of your life will allow you to show up more authentically. This allows for work and life to not only coexist but also support each other.

4. Use a vision board. There’s a reason vision boards are a thing — seeing is believing. There are now apps (I use the Hay House Vision Board app) that allow you to create them. Having positive images at your fingertips and seeing them regularly ignites powerful action sequences in your brain.

5. Take time to journal. Journaling has been life-changing for me. It’s what allows us to connect our hearts to our minds. The process of writing allows you to be clear on what your dreams are and why they’re important to you. Within the pages of your journal, you’ll find the “why” and the “how.”

6. Design your destiny. Walking in your dreams requires everyday action and attention. When you wake up, choose joy. Be purposeful, using language that inspires you, embracing all the things that embody what’s most important to you.

7. Put yourself first. You shouldn’t do this in an egotistical way, but in a way that allows you to take the time you need so that you can be your best self for yourself and those around you. If you don’t know yourself, it’ll be challenging to know and connect with your target audience.

When we stop dreaming, I believe we stop living. If you’re feeling like you’re just going through the motions, or if you have a fire burning inside of you to make a change or do something different, take control. When you decide that it’s time to live your best life, you can and will live it!

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