My double life.

I have a secret, and it's about to come out. If you were to come up to me on the street, you'd probably never know what I'm about to reveal. Then again, maybe you're very perceptive and you'd see right through my flimsy disguise. My secret? I'm very shy. I'd much prefer being alone or with a few close friends as opposed to in a group of new people. New people exhaust me. It's not that I dislike them, it's just that all the steps that one must take to meet a new person completely drain my energy. If you don't recall from your psychology class notes, this is the precise definition of an introvert.

By this point, we've established that being outgoing and assertive doesn't come naturally to me. It's too bad, since those are very key personality traits when running a business. I've had to develop those skills over time, and sometimes I think I'm just one furtive glance away from exposing myself for the introvert I really am. It's never really occurred to me that I wouldn't just overcome those tendencies. The big secret to entrepreneurship, as far as I see it, is just that. It doesn't matter what sort of obstacle stands in your way, you must realize that, for your business to thrive, there is a way around it.

That doesn't mean that every problem will be neatly solved, or that every idea you have can be done. Sometimes the way around an obstacle is realizing that it's an idea that won't work, and finding a new direction.