Today is referred to as Helen Keller day, it is the day that she was born back in 1880. At the very least, people know Helen Keller for overcoming being both blind and deaf, however, there are so many things she accomplished besides that. There are a lot of obstacles that stand in the way of small business owners, like trying to obtain working capital to keep the business growing, however Keller faced obstacles unlike anything the majority of us will ever face. The way that she lived her life left us with many lessons that we can learn from her, including the following:
Have a Vision
One of Helen Keller’s famous quotes is, “It’s a terrible thing to see, and have no vision!”. If anyone can learn from this, it’s an entrepreneur. When you take the risk of starting a business you need to have a strong vision that keeps you motivated. Dream, imagine, and see where you want your business to go. The ability to have vision is what is going to help you make smart business decisions, including where to spend your working capital.
Nothing is Out of Reach
Helen Keller ended up blind and deaf when she was only 18 months old. Yet, she ended up traveling all around the world to speak and had 12 books published. No one could have imagined, including Helen Keller, when she was a child that her name would be recognized by Americans and people around the world for generations to come. However, nothing is out of reach, and she didn’t let anything stop her. She was the first blind and deaf person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. She is even featured on the Alabama quarter, which is the only one to include braille.
Don’t Feel Sorry for Yourself
When difficult times come, which they will at some point or another for small businesses, you have two choices. You can either feel sorry for yourself or you can work hard to overcome the problem. It would have been easy for Helen Keller to sit and feel sorry for herself. She wouldn’t even have to work to tune out people trying to help her since she couldn’t see or hear. But, she didn’t. She overcame the frustration as a child of learning the names for items by having them spelled with sign language into her hand. But, as is told in the stories about her, once the light came on in her head that every object had a different name, she was desperate to learn them all.
She soaked in new information and she continued to overcome one obstacle after the next. When you stop and think about the obstacles you are facing, and then think about what Keller overcame, you quickly realize that your obstacles are nothing compared to hers. The stress of obtaining working capital you need to run your business is nothing compared to not having your sight or sound.
Focus on Your Successes and the Positive Things
Helen Keller once said, “Keep your face to the sunshine and you will never see the shadow.” As you work through the obstacles of the small business world you can choose to see the glass as half full, or half empty. Those that succeed are the ones that focus on the positive. At the end of each day, take the time to reflect on your success from the day.
Remind yourself of your achievements. If you have built up enough working capital in your business to rise up a level, take time to celebrate it.
Surround Yourself with the Right People
Helen Keller was friends with people that made a difference, like Alexander Graham Bell and Mark Twain, to name a few. She also had great companions that helped her throughout life, including the Anne Sullivan, the teacher who is famous for teaching her to communicate.
If you surround yourself with people that are accomplishing a lot in life it will help you rise up as well. If you surround yourself with people that are negative, it is easy to become negative as well. Look at the results that the people in your life are getting. Do you want the same results in your life?
As a business owner, find a mentor that has a business that is further along than yours. Take the advise of strong business owners that make good decisions in their business. If you model your business after a business that struggles and doesn’t have the working capital they need, you may find yourself in the same boat.
Applying it to Your Business
Is your business facing big obstacles? If so, each day can feel exhausting, but don’t let it stop you. You need to stay focused and work to overcome each challenge as it arises. If your business could use additional working capital to overcome the obstacles of growing, iBusiness Funding can help. They provide working capital to small businesses to help them stay focused and work towards their big visions. Find out how iBusiness Funding can help your business today with our quick online form.
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