"How hard was it to start a business from scratch?" 

"Did you ever think about giving up?" 

"Would you do it all over again?" 

"Whatever possessed you to start a coaching practice when there was no such profession?" 

"Why would you start another business when your first business went bust?" 

 We get these kinds of questions a lot lately.  As The Quality Coach!® approaches its' 23rd birthday, it seems like a good time to reflect and introspect. However, my gut reaction is always the same. Failure is not and never has been an option. 

Mark De Lisle, a former Navy SEAL and 

current fitness instructor at National Institute of Health and Fitness, compares entrepreneurship to extreme competitive sports. Being an entrepreneur, and a huge admirer of competitive sports, that got me curious.

De Lisle suggests that Navy SEAL training would be the ideal preparation for business ownership. Everything begins with commitment and attitude for the Navy SEAL Teams. SEALs are trained to eliminate the words - "I can't." They understand that their capacity to perform drops substantially the minute doubt enters their mind. 

Doubt comes in many forms, and it's contagious. Doubt about the worthiness of the mission and the commitment to carry through flows down to those who look to us for leadership. Doubt leaks out to customers and suppliers. Doubt about having the ability or the resources to carry out the mission can be equally deadly. No doubt about it, indecision and doubt will get us every time. 

De Lisle claims that "the only limitations we face in life are the ones we place on ourselves." 

To be successful, you must fully commit and must fully believe in yourself. Be clear about the objective, visualize it, believe it, AND achieve it. No excuses! Motivation is an inside out job, De Lisle maintains. "If you look for someone or something else to motivate you, you are done." 

Persistence is everything. De Lisle has observed that an otherwise capable SEAL candidate will sometimes quit just 10 minutes before a training activity is successfully completed. Candidates fall short because they cannot find the will to go on. They get ten minutes away from greatness and stop. How often does this happen in our world? 

Being an entrepreneur can be a very lonely experience. Very well-meaning people will suggest that the things you want to achieve are too difficult or downright impossible. You search for those folks who can imagine the possibilities and see ways to navigate the uncharted terrain.

And, you talk to yourself. How you talk to yourself determines everything. You must eliminate the perception of personal limitations. 

Many SEAL briefings are closed with the phrase: "Make it happen." De Lisle asserts that to empower yourself, or to empower your team, verbalizing these three words every day shows that you have no doubt. Your confidence in yourself or your team is transmitted in those three powerful words, "Make it happen."

 

"Doubt, of whatever kind, can be ended by action alone." Thomas Carlyle

 

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