The odds of success are against you, the efforts required to keep your head above water are massive (as is the stress) and at the end of the day, your competition may come out with a better product that sinks your entrepreneurial battleship and sends your customers overboard.

Good things don't come easily -- at least not in my experience. Becoming an expert requires focus, consistency, discipline and dedication. In the SEAL Teams, we honed a particular skill every day: jumping, shooting, diving, small unit tactics, looking cool (or not). Some days were fun, others not so much (you never get used to cold water).

But what separates the professional from the amateur is not just a test of skill, but a measure of will. That is, startup success only comes to those willing to put in the time, do the work and sacrifice self for sustained effort.

If you want to get better at public speaking then you don't practice writing in your journal. If you want to shave precious minutes off your marathon time then the bench press probably isn't the best avenue.

It's no wonder that 46 percent of startups fail due to weak sauce, otherwise known as poor leadership. Unfortunately, incompetence, low or non-existent levels of self-awareness, poor planning and exorbitant expectations are common practices among so-called "leaders" who do anything but lead.