Enthusiasm can get you to jump out of a plane, but self-control is the part that triggers you to put a parachute on before you jump. We entrepreneurs are often known for jumping without the parachute, sometimes we land on objects that break our fall, but often we hit the ground at 115mph.
We’re often accused of Ready, Aim, Fire; an effort we make to get our business to the next level. We do need to take risks, but we also need those risks to be calculated and that’s what Self-Control is for.
I’ve often made calculated risks that go against what my “experts” said and got better results than I expected. I’ve also ignored what I thought was right, and chose to follow the “experts” with outcomes that were devastating. Either way, I owned the decision, the “experts” didn’t.
This isn’t to say you should dismiss advice from “experts”; you should take seriously what they say. What I’m saying is to make your own decision after you take their advice, but never make the decision to do what they say, when you disagree. They should convince you that their rights before you follow their path.
That’s self-control; you’re taking your enthusiasm and establishing a plan to back that enthusiasm up. You’re preparing to adjust when your desired outcome is not what you want. I’ve never had a decision that I regret when I’ve exercised enthusiasm with self-control and you won’t either. Ignore what enthusiasm and self-control does for you and find yourself regretting your decisions.