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So you're a new entrepreneur. You're still at that stage when, while your former co-employees are happily filing their vacation leaves and spending their Christmas bonuses, you're out slaving away in bazaars and trade shows, trying to raise money for your employees' Christmas bonuses. This can make entrepreneurship feel more like a difficult problem rather than an inspiring challenge.

Which is why it is crucial for entrepreneurs to develop the art of believing in yourself (and in your business!) even during those moments when you can't find any reason to.

To help you develop this ability, I'd like to share with you some scientific truths that have helped my own coaching clients make amazing progress even during challenging times.

Scientific Principle #1: Every action brings about a corresponding reaction.
You push a ball, it rolls. If you hold it steady, it stays put.

What it means to the entrepreneur: Your efforts are never wasted! Wherever you are right now on your entrepreneurial path, you are doing great! And even if it doesn't seem like it, you are making a difference.

Imagine what happens when you try to boil water. You put it in a kettle and turn on the stove, but for a long time nothing seems to be happening. Lots of energy is being expended, but the water seems to stay the same. But then, eventually, the water reaches 100 degrees Celsius. All of a sudden it steams, and boils!

Entrepreneurship is very similar to the parable of the man who was instructed by a guru to push a huge rock up a mountain. For a long time he kept pushing and pushing, but was never able to make the rock move. Nothing was happening! But then the guru pointed out an interesting thing: something was happening, and that something was that the man's efforts had been steadily strengthening the muscles on his arms. His arms had gotten so strong that, one day, he was able to move the rock up that mountain.

Scientific Principle #2: No two things can occupy the same place at the same time.
If you are sitting in your chair right now somewhere in Manila while you are reading this article, then it is highly unlikely that a giraffe is sitting on the exact same spot on your seat at this exact same moment. You are either there in your seat, or the giraffe is.

What it means to the entrepreneur: This is a lesson for us to stop second-guessing ourselves. Many times we realize things on hindsight that we wish we'd realized before, maybe when we made a crucial decision, or said out loud something that we would later regret.

Although it's okay to feel bad about mistakes for some time, it really does us no good to set up camp in the past and wallow in "what I should've done.? Fact is, we could've only done the exact same thing we did at that moment, given what we knew back then. That decision was made by the You of back then, so thank him/her for doing his/her best. Then create the best life out of your situation now.

 

Scientific Principle #3: Energy that is focused produces more powerful results.
Flashlights and laser beams both emit light. But the flashlight produces scattered waves that can illuminate your path in the dark, while the laser beam focuses its waves into one focal point and can cut through steel.

What it means to the entrepreneur: Many people today have been trained erroneously to "multitask," which is actually just another term for "working without focus". They often find themselves unable to produce the best results.

Entrepreneurs, of course, have a lot of things to do. But you might find that focusing on doing just one thing at a time (i.e., without worrying ahead about the next thing) helps you get things done faster and in the best possible way.