I see a lot of hand-wringing going on around me these days.  “What will happen in the economy?”  “When will things get better?”  The causes for worry and uncertainty are endless, but I have a simple way to respond.

Turn down the external noise (it helps to visualize actually turning down the volume).  Now look on your own situation as if you were a visitor from another planet trying to learn about humans.  Answer this question after some reflection:  “What is this person (remember, the visitor is looking at YOU)… what is this person actually able to control?  Where does this person exert the greatest influence?”

I know, these are strange questions.  We don’t think much about these things.  But if we did, I think we would notice that each person is able to control only what actions they take and the thoughts they think about.  There’s a lot of power in that, much more than we realize.  We’re usually so busy looking outside ourselves for answers, for cues about how to act that we forget where the center of our own power lies.

Our main source of power lies in what we think about and what we choose to do about it.  The people who most take this to heart look a lot like entrepreneurs.  We say they have initiative.  They strike out and take chances.  They do things that others often admire.  Entrepreneurs, instead of looking for a job, look for areas to be of service to other people (and make a profit in the process too).

“What then is to be done?  To make the best of what is in our power, and take the rest as it naturally happens.” Epictetus, Discourses

I found a pretty extended elaboration of this on Tim Ferriss’ blog that speaks philosophically to entrepreneurs.

When it comes to developing top talent, look for entrepreneurialism first.  I look for an attitude that is willing to tackle things, that will look for what’s possible, not the opposite.   What’s important to you?