Follow the D-Path
Dreams > Desire > Determination > Dedication > Destiny
If you can dream it, you can do it – Walt Disney
Opening Case Study:
Turning Dreams into Destiny: Ratan Tata
Renowned as India’s best brand ambassador and the former chairman of giant Tata Sons, conglomerate with interests in everything from tea to steel, Ratan Tata is an iconic Indian entrepreneur who adroitly guided the industrial giant through the tricky post-liberalization phase. Ratan Tata, a true dreamer to the core, wanted to fulfill the car dream of the two-wheeler drivers in India. Notably, the industrialist’s dream of launching the cheapest car in the world was realized with the launch of the “Tata Nano’, a vehicle considered by automobile experts to be the benchmark in frugal engineering design practices. He has been instrumental in raising the profile of the Tata industrial behemoth from a largely Indian based conglomerate to a truly global MNC with operations in almost all the key countries in the world. Tata is renowned for his acute business acumen and strategic vision. These qualities were fully showcased to the entire world by his acquisition of legendary British companies like steel giant Corus and marquee automobile brand Jaguar Land Rover. In recognition of his monumental achievements in the business world, he has been awarded with several prestigious honors like the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award and the British knighthood.
Dare to Dream
The biggest successes in the world of business have been those that once seemed as far-fetched dreams. When people heard for the very first time about a contraption that would let them fly through the air like birds, majority considered it impractical, not to mention impossible. When the legend Frederick Smith proposed his dream for an overnight delivery service to his professor at Yale, he could hardly make it to a passing grade. But by continuing on the path of his dreams which others projected as a dead end, he founded FedEx.
True entrepreneurs are those who shift their focus from the routine projects and venture outside their comfort zone. Entrepreneurs are at their best when they challenge themselves. An entrepreneur can kick-start his business by making a commitment to achieve big, next to impossible goal. The thrill of performing a daunting project aids in unleashing the potential within and raising the business to new heights. Here is a to-do list that guides you on your entrepreneurial dream:
1. Figure out your “mission impossible“: Make it a habit to enlist one or more dream projects that you are passionate about. Success usually favors a project that is well-planned with clear direction. Opt for a project that will enhance your business value and add a new dimension to it. Think of this project as an opportunity to adventure.
2. Value learning more than financial results: You can stay abreast of the latest trends and techniques in entrepreneurship by focusing your mind on achieving a worthy goal. Gaining insight of business acumen is the biggest learning that entrepreneurship offers. Discard any self-limiting thoughts and reservations by concentrating on what you will become skilled at rather than how much money you will generate.
3. Make real advancement on a daily basis. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but architects and craftsmen made progress each day and the city became famous worldwide. So act the Roman way, and set aside a particular time of the week to work on your dream project. Start your journey of achieving your dream by penning down your goal on paper and preparing a list of questions you will need to answer to achieve your objective.
4. Don’t look back. Success is not achieved overnight. But this fact should not bog you down. Take one step at a time confidently and do not fear results. Learn from setbacks you encounter and regard them as business lessons. At any cost don’t look back. Trust your imagination and try to find ways to formulate the growth strategy for your business
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Create a “worthy” dream–and unleash your potential.
Desire to awaken the Entrepreneur Within
A variety of people are charmed by entrepreneurship, but it is an art that demands a hefty price in terms of variety of talents, aptitudes, and personal traits. The outlook, frame of mind, enthusiasm, and spirit that characterize the successful entrepreneur are at times hard to pinpoint, state, or encapsulate in a profile.
The simplest way to buildup your entrepreneurial desire is to identify an individual in action in the business arena. By exploring a few of the chief qualities of the true entrepreneur, it is likely to follow them, cultivate and build up them, or to recognize what is essentially apt or not for an entrepreneurial career.
An individual who is committed to be an entrepreneur needs to risk time, energy, effort, and money. To pursue this career path there needs to be an insatiable desire to excel in the chosen business venture that is best suited to them. Following the advice from mentors in the entrepreneurial field offers insight and understanding and makes all the months, years, and financial resources dedicated in pursuit of the career path worthwhile.
An entrepreneurial career is an ideal choice for those individuals for whom entrepreneurship represents the fulfillment of their potential, aspiration, and individual and economic dreams. The ability to articulate, list, and classify the fundamental aspiration of business venture nature can help a would-be entrepreneur tremendously. Learning about the personality and traits of the entrepreneur can offer additional hope, fuel the desire and fulfill aspirations. To clarify the sense of purpose, preparing a checklist of principally desirable qualities is great way.
An individual needs to have the winning attitude, the dream for greater achievement, attainment of higher goals and bigger benchmarks. Above everything what entrepreneurs need is – motivation, focus, hope, financing, marketing skill, a brilliant idea, etc.—which boils down to a burning craving.
A powerful desire turns idea into action. Without that desire, nothing else matters. Any dream that you wish to materialize starts with passionate desire. Thinking is great, but utterly nothing happens unless you have that desire to translate your idea into action.
Let your desire awaken the entrepreneur within & compel you to create something new.
Determination
Every entrepreneurial journey begins with a dream, but it is sheer determination to transform desire into reality that gives birth to business ventures. Entrepreneurs gain their determination from:
Focus – Majority of business schools talk about vision, mission and strategy. A vision results in an aim to aspire for. As the saying goes, ‘If you don’t know where you want to go, any road will take you there.’ Time is the biggest resource for an entrepreneur. It must be invested in focusing on dreams to turn into practicality. Having a determined focus aids in concentrating on things that matter most.
Belief – A strong belief in vision makes all the difference. Entrepreneurs should have robust self-belief that they can use their resources in an optimized manner to achieve their vision. If founders fail to believe in what they are doing no one else will and others aren’t going to help.
Commitment – There is no alternative to being a successful entrepreneur other than being committed. Beginners should be willing for hard work. The entrepreneur must wholeheartedly commit himself and be determined to make the startup work. Peter Drucker said “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.”
Consistency – Startups rely heavily on trust. Prospective customers need to have faith that a supplier will deliver on their promises and that the venture will reap profits in the future. The difficulty however is that trust takes time to build up. Endurance and perseverance on a single course of action is necessary. Build trust consistently through each succeeding achievement.
Think skinned – People who cannot do something themselves are going to tell that you cannot do it. But you ought to believe in your dream. Entrepreneurs must be thick skinned in order to survive the startup emotional roller coaster. The entrepreneur has to be determined to press ahead if he believes in an idea.
If the entrepreneur marches ahead with determination believing that dreams will come true, they eventually will.
Dedication
Entrepreneurship is not restricted to any age, income level, gender or race. Entrepreneurs may differ in their education, experience, culture or country. But one quality that researches suggest all entrepreneurs commonly share is unrelenting dedication towards their goal.
• Creativity drives the development of new products or services. But constant improvement is possible only by having the dedication to learn, ask questions, and think in new ways.
• Dedication is what makes an entrepreneur work hard, often 12 hours a day or more, even seven days a week, especially in the beginning. Planning and ideas must have support from hard work to succeed.
• Dedication implies that you are keen to succeed. If something doesn’t work out, you don’t give up. Dedication persuades the entrepreneur to make one more try, or knock on one more door when one closes. For the real entrepreneur, money is the reward, but dedication is the price he pays for it.
• Dedication offers an entrepreneur the ability to make smart moves when situation demands. Dedication helps to opt for flexibility in modifying his or her original idea if customers push for something else.
• Leadership is the ability to create rules and set goals. Dedication is abiding to the set rules and making sure everyone follows it. Dedication is what gives entrepreneurs the ability to keep their spirit high.
• Passionate entrepreneurs can convince others to believe in their idea. But only dedicated entrepreneurs can stay focused and gets others to take their plans seriously.
•Dedicated entrepreneurs can stay focused in spite of difference of opinions and can listen to others without giving up their own point of view.
• A dedicated entrepreneur can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. In other words, every entrepreneur has this quality of dedication in spite of criticism.
• No entrepreneurial goal is unachievable for a dedicated individual. A determined mind moves past all difficulties.
Dedication is like steel, forged in fire between the hammer and the anvil but its reward is success.
Destiny
It is a myth that destiny is decided by fate. The truth is, destiny favors the mind that is prepared. The harder you work, the more luck favors you .Following the D-path ensures that your dreams turn into your destiny. Your dream should evolve into entrepreneurial accomplishment and insight. It is possible to reach the ultimate goal and realize one’s dreams in a really life-changing way by abiding to the D-path. The true entrepreneur experiences a paradigm shift that involves a five-step process of reaching destiny:
#1: Idealization of Dream – True dreams are not those that you see when you sleep. True dreams are those that you see with open eyes. Dreams are the foundation of great ventures. Entrepreneurs must idealize their dreams into desire.
#2: Visualization of Desire– Desire is the seed of destiny. Visualizing the desire as a reality and clarifying this vision on a daily basis, filling in more details each day takes one closer to reaching his goals.
#3: Verbalization of Determination – Determined entrepreneurs don’t shy away from verbalizing their dreams. They put words of determination to the dream and talk of it with courage and are sure that it will turn true. Having a personal dialog builds faith and is an ideal practice.
#4: Materialization though Dedication – Because of the dedication and intention of designing and believing in the ideal and the dream, things begin to fall into place and happen in a natural and automatic way.
#5 Reaching the Destiny: The idea becomes a real and tangible fact that materializes in the world and influences others while opening new doors to fresh opportunities and the birth of more dreams.
The real entrepreneur is a dreamer whose dreams come true by following the D-path.