Tips Towards Taking INITIATIVE!

 "There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened." – Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman

1. Build Self Confidence - This is the most important (and difficult) step. In order to take initiative, you must BELIEVE in your power to DO something. You are capable of making change or getting that job or starting your own business; you just need to believe you can actually do it!

2. 10 seconds of Courage - Have you seen the movie "We Bought a Zoo"? If not, go check it out because it illustrates our point today. All you need is 10 seconds of courage. Thats it. All it takes is 10 seconds to make that phone call or decide to go to that job interview or press "send" on your resume. It's ok to be scared. It really is, however all you need is 10 seconds of courage to make a change and take a risk.

3. Set small goals and achieve them - You might be saying to yourself "I want to start a new business that changes Detroit for the better" or "I want to become the CEO of my own company" etc.etc. these are GREAT goals! However, they are so big, so...intimidating! Try to set small, small goals and actually achieve them. For example, "Today I am going to send my resume to three employers," or "Today I will go to the library and take out three books on entrepreneurship." This will make you feel more confident in yourself and your ability to make your dreams become a reality.

4. Tackle 1 piece of the project at a time - It is tempting to try to do the whole thing at once--but again, we want to help BOOST your confidence, so start small. Break a big task down into lots of little tasks and do those one at a time. This will make it seem way less daunting!

5. Stay ahead of Deadlines - Practice. Practice. Practice. Try paying your bills before they are due, try meeting work deadlines before they need to be done. If you are not working, try making a list of things you would like to get done around the house and do them BEFORE it becomes absolutely necessary. Doing things before they need to get done shows your work ethic, organization, and time management skills. (All of which are very marketable and desirable for an employer or self-run business)

6. Don't procrasitnate - Just do it. Get it done and you will feel better about yourself and your capabilities.

7. Share your ideas - That is what we are here for! Practice telling your pitch, your business idea, your biggest dream to someone (a family member, friend, neighbor, cashier!) The more you spread your idea and talk about it, the more input (and support!) you will get from those around you.

8. Don't call it work, call it banking on the future (perspective) - Treat your goals and dreams like working with the future in a time machine: precious, special, and intense. Change your perspective! If you look at it like "work, ugh" it will feel like work! If you think of it as preparing your time machine into the future...sounds more exciting, right?

9. Reward yourself - As you set up little goals, set up little rewards. For me, I use food as a motivator because I LOVE sweets. At the same time I create my goals, I create rewards as well. This way, I can think about that berry smoothie or chocolate chip cookies while I work! You can use anything that you want. Some people use a TV episode or trip to the mall...comment below with your rewards!

10. Visualize success - Imagine you have exactly what you want. Imagine the business or the new car or the initiative and LIVE it. Pretend it is real. This might sound silly at first, but people who imagine specifically what they want are more likely to get it. Dream on!