Have you noticed that the most successful entrepreneurs are out-of-the-box thinkers? They live outside the box. In order to know how to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, there are two things I need to address: an entrepreneurial mindset and what it means to be out of the box. Now the two terms, entrepreneur and out of the box, I see used a lot. I think they're misunderstood a little bit.

Are You Boxed In?

The first thing I'll talk about is the box. This box is a dream killer. It’s an entrepreneur crusher. So, where did this box come from? And how did we get in it? Well, here are my thoughts on what this box is.

It starts when you’re a child. They send you to school to get an education. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for getting an education. However, one of the dangers about school is how they start putting you into the box. They tell you to get a good education so you can get a good paying job and then, after 20 or 30 years, you can retire and start living the life of luxury. That’s how you become a success in life.

So, we go through Elementary, Middle and High School with a box mentality. And when we go to college, we're still stuck with the box mentality, right? Then what happens after college? We jump right into the box and get a job. Well, the job it's almost like school. We get up early and get to work at eight or nine o'clock. We get a break at 10:15, and a lunch break, if we’re lucky. Then we go home at six o'clock and get stuck in traffic. There's our life, still in the box, still following tasks, still doing what we're told, so we can get a paycheck and try to simply exist.

What’s the Box Telling You?

Now, what are we doing this for? Well, it's not all bad, right? Because, if you have a good job, you get at least two weeks off a year. Yay! So, for those two weeks you get to fulfill all your hopes, dreams, goals, everything that you wanted to do in those two weeks, or two months if you’re a teacher. For some this sounds like a pretty good deal. Now there’s nothing wrong with having a job. We all need to work to survive, correct? But what happens?

·         In our job, what are we wanting to do?

·         What's the angle of the job?

·         What are we saving our money for?

·         What are we looking forward to?

The box tells us, retirement! We're building our whole life doing all this stuff so when we retire, we can have an amazing life.

But what happens when we retire? How many people do you know actually retire? I was doing some research and found out that a lot of people who are retiring die days or weeks later. They did what the box said and now they're in a box in the ground. Why? Because they let the box destroy their dreams, vision and purpose. They felt they had nothing else to live for and passed on.

Live Outside the Box

Don’t let the box steal your dreams, vision and purpose! It’s time to live life outside the box and fulfill your destiny. Even if you’re in the box now, you can still live the life you’ve always wanted. What you have to do is get rid of that box mentality. You have to burn that box and start living your dreams.  

Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, live outside the box. If you ever want to get outside of the box, the first thing that you’re going to have to do is change your mindset.

How important is mindset? It is, arguably, the most important tool that an entrepreneur has at his or her disposal. That’s because no matter what kind of business you’re trying to run or kind of entrepreneurial venture you’re attempting, your success, whether inside or outside of the box, has everything to do with your own positive attitude.

Many people inside the box aren’t even aware that they have a negative attitude. Many people have negative self-talk going on, down deep where no one else sees, but to the world they put on a positive face. Only you can decide if you need to work on your mindset before reaching your dreams.

To live outside the box, you must destroy the negative image you have about yourself and process the effects of toxic experiences in a positive way. Learn how to be comfortable being outside of your comfort zone. When trying to achieve life goals, your positive, determined mindset will keep you focused on your dreams and purpose — no matter how hard the trial is.

For an entrepreneur, fear is a valuable thing. It keeps you safe and encourages caution when caution is due. But it’s also a limiting thing: Not everything you’re afraid of deserves fear or caution. And sometimes, moments of bravery are what is needed to make your life better. The bravery of stepping out of your comfort zone, the bravery to undertake new challenges and to overcome your fears…

If you enjoyed this article, please leave a comment below and make sure you get “Think Like An Extraordinary Entrepreneur.” This FREE Ebook reveals how your mindset may be the most important asset that you have and the way you look at the world influences many things in your life. Positively or negatively.

There’s a lot you can learn while being inside the box. However, it is vitally important to remember this key point: never let the box steal your dreams! If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, then it’s time to live outside the box.