Everybody needs a mentor. And if that mentor happens to be tiny, green, and wise as hell, well, even better.
Yoda may be long gone, (RIP) but, thankfully, the little guy from the swamps of Dagobah left a legacy behind in the form of quotes that will inspire and motivate you to reach your full potential.
Yes, the Yoda quotes below will guide you through entrepreneurship so expertly it will be like the Jedi Master himself was right by your side the whole time. Or on your back if you'd prefer to carry him around that way. (I know I would.)
Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.
As we grow older, we tend to lose some of the best qualities about us: creativity, imagination, openness, wonder. And all of these lost qualities can be exactly what would've given you an advantage as an entrepreneur.
The greatest entrepreneurs are the ones who innovate by seeing the impossible as possible. They're open to new, off-the-wall ideas, and they listen to others' opinions. Working to bring these qualities back is one of the smartest business moves you can make.
Do. Or do not. There is no try.
This might be one of the most well-known Yoda quotes, but, dammit if it isn't true.
When you decide to do something, whether it's going after your dream of starting your own company, expanding an existing business, or reaching a personal goal, your mindset has everything to do with whether or not you'll see success. Make up your mind that you will achieve your goals, period.
Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.
How will you ever succeed if you're constantly worrying about all the 'what ifs'? What if I can't get a loan? What if I bury myself in debt? What if I fail?
While viable concerns, these fears will keep you from realizing your full potential and let in one of the most destructive emotions: regret. But when you let go of your fears, nothing can hold you back any longer.
Pass on what you have learned.
There are many reasons to become a mentor to someone: It'll motivate you to stay on top of your game and help solidify you as a thought leader in your industry.
More than that, though, mentorship will create a lasting legacy for you as someone who is not only great at what they do, but someone who is wise enough to know that helping others achieve success only makes you greater.
Named must your fear be, before banish it you can.
Sometimes the very thing holding us back is the hardest to admit. Maybe you think you're not good enough to achieve as much as you desire. Maybe you fear your business idea isn't strong enough to stand on its own. Maybe you're afraid if success actually comes, you won't know how to sustain it.
When you finally acknowledge what your greatest fear is, you can work on releasing it so it no longer has any power over you.
Control, control. You must learn control.
Control is something every entrepreneur must master. And it's not just control of a situation, like when dealing with employees or negotiating terms. You must exhibit great control when it comes to knowing how much to spend, or not spend, on certain aspects of your business.
Control means avoiding the temptation to spend profit on something frivolous or expand your business too soon. Practicing control early on in entrepreneurship can help pave the way for your future success.
Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
Do you want to become a bitter old person who laments the past on a daily basis? Fear is what keeps you from starting a business. From asking your crush out on a date. From asking for that promotion you know you deserve. From switching careers. From going after whatever it is you want the most.
And when you give into fear, it changes the outcome of the life you could've had, which of course takes us back to that older, sadder, more bitter version of you, who wishes you'd just gone ahead and taken that risk.
If no mistake you have made, yet losing you are... a different game you should play.
Are you doing the same things over and over again, yet not getting any results? A willingness to try new things, whether it's a new marketing tactic or an innovative business idea, are how you will ultimately find success.
And whether you haven't made any mistakes yet because you're too scared to put yourself out there or you're playing it safe -- you're never going to grow as an individual or a businessperson without a little trial and error. The smartest and most successful entrepreneurs know that mistakes are anything but failures.
Much to learn, you still have, my old Padawan... this is just the beginning.
You might be a kick-ass entrepreneur with all the book and street smarts in the world, but if you think you already know everything there is to know, that itself is the biggest mistake you could possibly make.
Knowing there's always more to learn, always something that can make you greater, better, and stronger, will take you much further than a cocky, self-serving attitude ever could.