Being an entrepreneur is awesome. You embrace your passions every day at work. You create your own schedule, working from home whenever you feel like it. You can avoid answering to a boss or getting caught in the corporate rat race.
That isn’t to say it’s always easy. But it’s always rewarding. What most people don’t realize about entrepreneurship, though, is it can affect your life outside of the office. How we work can change the mindset of how we live. Being an entrepreneur is great for many reasons, including the many ways it makes you better at life.
- You Become Better at Thinking Outside the Box
The business world often favors those who think outside the box. Good revolutionaries concoct new ways of approaching the same old problems and offer up new solutions.
A few decades ago, few people would have predicted that one of the top media companies in the US owns very little physical inventory or that one of the top taxi services owns no vehicles. But the founders of Netflix and Uber forever changed their industries with their creative thinking.
Entrepreneurs are continually challenged to think outside the box. The more you work as an entrepreneur, the more you develop the skills to think creatively. As you practice approaching problems from new perspectives at work, you get better at applying that mindset in other areas of your life. You can find new ways to solve conflict, structure your day, remodel your home, etc.
- You Get More Mentally Tough
No one said entrepreneurship is easy. The ups are great, but the downs can be soul crushing. Sometimes it feels like weeks since things went right. Overwhelming stress, exhausting burn out, and never ending projects can cause you to question why you are doing this in the first place.
And then something magical happens. You toughen up. You grit your teeth and power through, finding new ways to tackle problems (such as delegating your work to a virtual assistant to free up your time). You realize you can function on less sleep than you ever thought possible (not recommended of course, but it is empowering knowing you can).
The more mentally tough you get at work, the more mentally tough you get in all areas of your life. The skills you need to survive as an entrepreneur help you manage your time more efficiently, be a more patient family member, prioritize better, and many other important skills. Entrepreneurship is tough, and it makes you tough in the process.
- You Keep Yourself Young
But most entrepreneurs I see have grey hairs and stress wrinkles galore, you may think.
True. Entrepreneurs who overwork themselves and fail to regularly practice self-care end up prematurely aging. Just like people in other lines of work with those same poor habits prematurely age.
Entrepreneurs who prioritize their health can find that their line of work keeps them young. Their control over their schedule makes it easier to prioritize important health habits, such as working out, spending time outside, and maintaining a good sleep schedule.
Every day entrepreneurs work in their area of passion. Have you ever seen someone’s eyes light up as they talk about their passion? This excitement about how you spend your time keeps you youthful. It energizes you and helps fight off burnout.
Entrepreneurs are also always learning. Scientific studies remind us time and time again how important learning and using our brain is to maintaining our brain health, especially as we age. Learning new skills and methods of doing work helps entrepreneurs keep their brains young.
- You Are Encouraged to Dream Big
Entrepreneurship encourages dreaming big at work. Small thinking limits the growth of your business, so you are supposed to entertain grand visions of growth and success. Even if your company never reaches that 15th franchise, considering it as a possibility can help motivate you to work harder than you thought possible.
The more you dream big at work, the more you find yourself dreaming big at home. Each day at work you find yourself asking “why not” and quickly you ask that question in all areas of your life. Why can’t I run that marathon? Why can’t I build the family life I desire? Why can’t I travel the world? The mindset of an entrepreneur is an optimistic one, helping entrepreneurs dream bigger at home than they ever imagined.
Entrepreneurship can be a powerful force on your life, changing and affecting you in ways you never would have guessed. The longer you live the entrepreneur life, the longer you reap its rewards. If you are looking to discover ways to improve your entrepreneur life, and in turn improve your life all around, check out our many training programs.