As entrepreneurs, it is important to take care of our mental health as it affects how we work, how we think, and how we feel. Furthermore, research shows the importance of managing stress and maintaining positive mental health for successful business outcomes.
Growing up in an impoverished community in Birmingham, Alabama; DeMarcus has experienced what many may consider insurmountable odds. In his chapter titled "Growing Into Entrepreneurship", he shares a glimpse into his personal and professional journey of transformation and offers seven key characteristics to being a successful entrepreneur.
𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵. 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗔. 𝗝𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 #𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗳𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽.
𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝘄𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗮𝘆, 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗜𝗜 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽.
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗽𝘁
Through everything I learned in order to be a successful entrepreneur you must have a healthy mental state. As a black man mental health is often ignored, due to his strength. I’ve learned over the years that mental health is wealth and without it we will fail. There are techniques I’ve used to the keep a healthy mental space they are :
1. Surround myself with positive energy
2. Take accountability for my actions
3. Remove all negative energy
4. Take time for myself
5. Acknowledge when I’m not ok.
The hardest part of the technique is acknowledging when I’m not ok. I’ve learned that it’s easier when I simply write it out. “IM NOT OK” This method opens the pathway for me to see that something’s off. Then I'm able to acknowledge it and start the process of my healing.
Click here to purchase copy of Volume II of The Mental Cost of Entrepreneurship.
𝗵𝘁𝘁𝗽𝘀://𝘄𝘄𝘄.𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗷𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻.𝗰𝗼𝗺/𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁-𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲/𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁-𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱-𝘁𝗵𝗲-𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹-𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗼𝗳-𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽-𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲-𝗶𝗶
𝗣.𝗦. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 + 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗔. 𝗝𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗔𝗬 𝟯𝟭, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯.
𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝘄𝘄.𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗳𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽.𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼