With Halloween approaching, our minds tend to shift to those things in life that are spooky and scary. As we get older, the ghosts and goblins that once kept us up at night are now funny, iconic reminders of a nostalgic time of year.

But, interestingly, many aspects of Halloween can serve as a great foundation for entrepreneurs.

Choose the path less taken.

Sure, one easy thing to do on Halloween is follow the crowd of kids and parents down the well lit neighborhood streets. In many neighborhoods it looks like a swarm of bees navigating together. This is safe and easy, but what if you veer down the sidestreets and venture to the houses just off the main path? Sure, sometimes you hit a dead-end, but sometimes  you also find the wonderful older couple who are so excited to have visitors and they graciously give you the greatest treats. If you want two Hershey kisses or a few Toostie rolls, follow the crowd, but the hand-tied bag full of Snickers, Milky Way and Crunch bars are often on the path less taken.

Many fears are irrational.

Halloween is full of masks, makeup, decorations, and creepy sounds. All kinds of things that ‘up’ our anxiety and ignite our irrational fears. For entrepreneurs, these fears come in the form of fear of failure, fear of humiliation, fear of being wrong, fear of running pursuing our passions. But, fear isn’t real. Fear is nothing more than images we make up in our mind.  Remember, when you face these fears you can make them disappear.

Walking door-to-door and starting conversations leads to great outcomes.

The great tradition of walking door-to-door (often with parents a sidewalk away) teaches us some independence, but also allows us to confront adults face-to-face. This is the foundation for one of your most valuable skills – your ability to look someone in the eye and communicate clearly. Sales, marketing, raising capital, hiring a great team, etc. all stem back to strong interpersonal communication. Door to door is a powerful and efficient teacher.

With a little effort, you can be a completely new person.

It amazes me that when the shy, quiet boy puts on his Superman costume, he becomes a confident, outspoken actor. He takes on the characteristics of his hero, stands a little taller and is ready to conquer the darkest streets in the hood. But wait – nothing physical changed. He didn’t grow new muscles or drink a special potion – it was 100% psychological. He just decided he could, so he did. Why not put on that psychological costume, armour or mask whenever you need it. Just decide you can.

So this holiday, as you walk with your kids or attend the friend’s costume party, just remember that even on November 1st, you can be anyone you want to be.

 

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/4-powerful-lessons-entrepreneurs-can-learn-from-halloween-mac-lackey