Dustin Hogan is founder and owner of Futurpreneur-supported The Rock Star Academy, a business dedicated to inspiring and empowering individuals to pursue their goals and dreams through personal development. He shares 3 strategies entrepreneurs can implement to achieve personal and professional growth. 


 

The dream of being an entrepreneur is about freedom, independence, making an impact and building a legacy for a better tomorrow.

 

But being an entrepreneur is hard.

 

As an entrepreneur, you’ve chosen a path that most other people in your life haven’t chosen and potentially might not even understand.

 

The road to entrepreneurial success is filled with twists and turns and isn’t a guaranteed path to success, but you are driven by a force that comes from deep within. You want to make an impact on the world that only an entrepreneur can.

 

You’ve heard the statistic that close to 46% of new businesses fail in the first 5 years.

You know that generating a profit may take longer than you anticipate, and you understand that no matter how passionate you are about your idea, you may have to pivot at some point to make it work.

 

And despite the odds of success not being in your favour, you still choose to forge on because the reality is that you would have it no other way.

 

This is your calling.

This is your purpose.

This is what you’re meant to do.

 

The idea of working 60 hours a week for yourself so you don’t have to work 40 hours a week for someone else is something that only your entrepreneur friends would understand.

 

Yes, being an entrepreneur is hard, but as Jim Carrey said, “You can fail at what you don’t want so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.”

 

With such a strong desire to achieve success, many entrepreneurs find themselves in hustle-mode. Maybe you can relate…

 

Working as hard as you can, as quickly as you can and for as long as you can.

 

You are running a marathon at a sprinter’s pace!

 

This can only go on for so long, and even though you get more done in the short-term, long-term you are on the path to burnout and the costs to your emotional health are staggering.

 

As entrepreneurs, one thing we often neglect is our own personal growth and ensuring that we are focused on our own wellbeing as much as we are focused on our business’ wellbeing.

 

If we’re not in our optimal state how can we expect our business to be?

 

For your business to truly reach its full potential, it’s important to spend some time each day furthering your own personal growth and development. A few minutes each day can yield great rewards over the years.

 

But where should you start and what should you focus on to generate the greatest return on your personal growth investment?

 

Focus on these 3 strategies for the greatest personal growth ROI:

 

1) Meditation

 

In his book Tools of Titans, Tim Ferris interviewed 200 of the world’s most successful billionaires, icons and world-class performers. Of these 200, 80% had some sort of daily meditation or mindfulness habit.

 

And while it isn’t just meditation that makes these Titans successful, meditation is the foundation that much of their success is built on.

 

From a more tangible perspective, science has proven that meditation can: reduce anxiety, improve focus, increase creativity, help you find flow, boost memory and so much more! All of these benefits are incredibly valuable to us as entrepreneurs.

 

If meditation isn’t part of your daily routine already, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to get started. You’ll start seeing benefits by starting with just a few minutes each day.

 

A great app to begin with is https://www.headspace.com/

 

2) Read Non-Business Books

 

Developing a reading habit can be one of the most rewarding things you can do for your personal growth. But with so many items on your to-do list, finding the time is often easier said than done.

 

As an entrepreneur, it is easy to reach for a business-related book to help you grow your business. Interestingly enough though, reaching for a non-business book might actually be a better business decision.

 

We spend so much time thinking about our business that our mind is all business all the time. By exploring books that aren’t business related you are actually engaging different types of creative thinking. This helps you think about the world in a different way and you may just have a breakthrough that you don’t expect.

 

The Kindle app is a powerful resource for diving into books of all kinds. It has allowed me to read more books because my phone is always on me!

 

3) Public Speaking

 

Developing your public speaking skills is one of the best investments in your personal and professional growth that you can make.

 

As an entrepreneur, a big part of your success comes from your ability to be able to articulate your ideas effectively and with passion.

 

Even if you have zero intention of speaking regularly, developing public speaking skills will positively impact your life and business in many ways. Boosting your confidence, enhancing your presence of mind, allowing you to speak on the spot, improving your ability to communicate your ideas, and so much more!

 

Not to mention, concurring your fears of public speaking, (If you had a fear to begin with), will allow you to face the challenges of growing a business with even more drive and confidence!

 

Hands down the best place to practice your public speaking skills would be to join a Toastmasters club.

 

To find one in your area visit https://www.toastmasters.org/

 

Focusing on these 3 strategies with consistency and discipline will create a ripple effect of personal growth throughout your life and your business.

 

As entrepreneurs, our drive and determination are powerful forces on our path to entrepreneurial success. But it can be a slippery slope if we let our mental, emotional and spiritual growth fall by the wayside.

 

The path of growing our business is really a journey of growing ourselves. Through the setbacks and the comebacks is where we discover what we’re made of.

 

By consciously focusing on your own personal growth while also focusing on business growth, you will set yourself up for the best possibility of success!

 

If you’re looking for even more resources, tools, and strategies for personal growth and development, download the resource guide that compliments this article.

 

Find out more about Dustin in his Entrepreneur Spotlight feature here.

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