Studies have shown that successful entrepreneurs and home business owners possess the following characteristics. Do you?

1. Do you have Self-confidence?
This is the magical power of having confidence in yourself and in your strengths and abilities. This isn't bravado or braggadocio but an unshakeable belief in yourself.

2. Are you Achievement Oriented?
Results are gained by focused and sustained effort. You concentrate on achieving a specific goal, not just accomplishing a string of unrelated tasks.

3. Are you a Risk Taker?
There is a chance of loss inherent in reaching for any goal, yet you have the confidence necessary to take calculated risks to achieve your goals.

So which of these three main characteristics is the most important? Believe it or not, it is self-confidence.

Without self-confidence, nothing else is possible. If you don't believe in your abilities, then the first challenge that arises may knock you off the path to achieving your goals. Here are a few things to keep in mind for maintaining a higher level of self-confidence.

* Positive Thinking
It all starts with a positive attitude! Believing that something good will happen is the first step.

Negative thinking is just not allowed (so stop it right now). You must truly believe that there are no circumstances hard enough to deter you from reaching your goals.

Try the exercise created by French psychotherapist Emile Coue - every morning repeat "Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better." You might be surprised that this simple exercise has been getting results since the early 1900s!

Remember too, that positive thinking can be contagious. When positive thinking spreads, it can open doors to new ideas, customers, friends, etc.

* Persistent Action
All the positive thinking and believing in the world is useless if it is not applied towards a goal. You have to take action, no excuses allowed. This action must also be persistent. Trying once and then giving up is not going to be enough. Keep at it one step at a time. If you can't get by a certain step, then find a creative way to try again or go around it.

Entrepreneurs are people who make decisions, they take action and control their own destinies. They are often motivated by a spirit of independence which leads them to believe that their success depends on raw effort and hard work, not luck.

As Ronald Regan pointed out: Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.

Look ahead and see yourself where you want to be, maintain a strong belief in yourself and your skills, stick with it, and never give up. If you can do that, you're already half way there!

We'll leave you with a couple of quotes from Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965):
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."
"For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else."

Onwards!