The other day I read an interesting article on MSN (courtesy of Oprah.com) which talked about ways for people to discover their “true passions.” While the article itself was worth reading, once I looked at it from a business standpoint, I found it completely fascinating.

In going down the ten items listed in the article, I think that each one is something that every entrepreneur has considered, even if they didn’t know it at the time.

Here are three items off the list that I’d like to discuss at length:

1. Listen to your inner voice. There’s really no point in starting a business if you’re going to run it half-heartedly, or if it’s something that you’re not truly passionate about. Sure, you’re going to have plenty of great ideas along the way, but if there’s some lingering doubt as to whether or not you believe in it, you’re probably better served to let it go and wait until you find something that really “moves” you.
2. Tune out the voice of the world. In order to become a successful entrepreneur you have to have some pretty thick skin because along the way you’re going to have a lot of people doubting you and your idea(s). Don’t get me wrong, there are going to be instances when the naysayers are right. That being said, if you truly believe in your idea and believe that you have the ability to make it a success, continue to go after it.
3. Be patient. Out of all the obsticles to becoming a successful entrepreneur, I believe that that being patient is the most difficult. We live in a very NOW oriented society, and many of us expect to reap the rewards of our business once we get it up and running. Chances are that’s not going to happen. For example, they say that for most people who make money off of their websites, it takes at least one year before you start to see all of your hard work pay off. From experience, I can say that this is 100% true.

Obviously, following these steps won’t guarantee that you’re going to succeed at your business. I’m sure there have been plenty of people who listened to their instincts, tuned out the rest of the world and patiently waited for their business to become a success, only to have to close up shop.

That being said, I believe that more often than not, business that ultimately do end up succeeding did follow many of the items pointed out in the MSN article.