The Qualities of Enterprising People

An enterprising person is one who comes across a pile of scrap metal and sees the making of a wonderful sculpture. An enterprising person is one who drives through an old decrepit part of town and sees a new housing development. An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life.


To be enterprising is to keep your eyes open and your mind active. To be skilled enough, confident enough, creative enough and disciplined enough to seize opportunities when they present themselves. A person with an enterprising attitude says, “Find out what you can do before taking action.” Do your homework. Do the research. Be prepared. Be resourceful. Do all you can in preparation of what’s to come.

Enterprising people always see the future in the present. Enterprising people always find a way to take advantage of a situation, not be burdened by it. And enterprising people aren’t lazy. They don’t wait for opportunities to come to them—they go after the opportunities. Enterprise means always finding a way to keep yourself actively working toward your ambition.

You need two things to be enterprising:

1. Creativity—to see what’s out there and to shape it to your advantage. You need creativity to look at the world a little differently. You need creativity to take a different approach—to be different.

2. Courage—to be creative. You need courage to see things differently, courage to go against the crowd, courage to take a different approach, courage to stand alone if you have to, courage to choose activity over inactivity.

Being enterprising doesn’t just relate to the ability to make money. Being enterprising also means feeling good enough about yourself, having enough self-worth to seek advantages and opportunities that will make a difference in your future. By doing so, you will increase your confidence, your courage, your creativity and your self-worth–your enterprising nature.

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