In business, there is a huge difference between number one and the rest of the numbers. Being number one means you are the captain of your ship. Marching first entails responsibility, managing risk, navigating the business, guiding people, looking after them, paying their wages and a lot of things. Simply, you job is to lead the ship in a clam and a rough water.

Most people look at the shiny part when they pull their business cards out from their pockets. Hey, I am the CEO of XYZ Co, I am the owner of ABC Co and so on. Statistically and practically speaking, the downsides outweigh the upsides. What are the downsides? Huge responsibilities and failures. Can you handle them? The reasons many people fail when they step in the world of entrepreneurship are not the common factors that everyone knows, the bad idea, lack of capital and poor execution.

It is the lack of self-understanding and self-realization. It is simply the lack of self-awareness. Who am I? Why am I doing what I am doing? What is my purpose? Most of the time people suffer because they do not have definite answers to these questions. We want to make money which is understandable, but what if things went against all the odds. Depression and frustration will kill your spirit.

Being number one means you know who you truly are. It means also you have accepted the outcomes before entering the race. Failure is not only part of the process, but is a fundamental built in component of the process. Businesses do not fail, people do. With failing comes learning. People mostly fail due to the lack of self-awareness and having atychiphobia, the fear of failure.

Upholding the badge of number one is fully understanding and accepting these two facts. There is nothing wrong with being number 2, 3, 4, 5… 2000, etc, but the rules are different. The bottom line is go and discover who you genuinely are then answer this question.

Are you number one or two?