By Kim Lavine

It’s been a busy week for me. I spent a good portion of Wednesday listening to the best and brightest from the highest levels of local government, business and academia, trying to figure out how to turn people into entrepreneurs, because the Michigan economy is desperately in need of risk-taking idealists who have some irrational passion coupled with a visionary idea that could just as easily be qualified as crazy—to start new businesses.

The opinion of all these very smart people was that being an entrepreneur has more to do with growing up in affluent homes, with access to lots of information and resources coupled with a great private education, than not. If that’s true, why are 70% of the people who are starting businesses in Michigan born in countries other than the US? Nobody’s living large like Americans!

The truth is, entrepreneurs aren’t born—or born into conditions that make you entrepreneurial. Entrepreneurs aren’t born—they’re made. And it’s really simple.

Entrepreneurs are optimistic--but we’re born into a pessimistic world. Being optimistic is not natural in this world, it’s a learned response. Teach yourself to be optimistic! That’s the secret of The Secret in a nutshell. It’s a lesson straight out of Mommy Millionaire: “A person will achieve success in direct proportion to his ability to let go of negativity in favor of all that is positive. Being negative is easy; being positive is what’s hard. Be a positive, big picture person, always striving to work for the highest good of all parties involved, and you can’t help but succeed.”

Entrepreneurs are risk takers—but nobody is born wanting to take risks! Risk-taking is a learned response. The only way you can evaluate risk is to evaluate reward. Teach yourself to see reward. See it in the morning when you get up, and in the evening when you go to bed. See it when you look in your kids faces at 2pm on a school day for a school party, see it in your business plan’s exit strategy, see it as the hope, dream or aspiration that reward is for you—not just money—every minute of your work day.

Entrepreneurs are passionate—but you’re not born passionate. Being passionate is a learned response. This world is jealous of passionate people. We’re taught early to go to school, get good grades, get a good degree then a good job with a good title in a good career track. Becoming an entrepreneur means learning to value ideas and passion over degrees and job titles. It means stepping out of everything you were taught and redefining success in your own terms. It means boasting unapologetically about your ideas, about your kids, and it means not being afraid to be enthusiastic when the whole world is telling you you’re crazy.

Don’t only be these things—Teach these things! Teach them to your kids. Show them you’re a Future Mommy Millionaire.

Future Mommy Millionaires are optimistic, passionate, risk takers who are teaching their kids to be positive, big-picture people who are smart and confident enough to redefine success on their own terms.

Future Mommy Millionaires are funny and loving and give praise more than they take it away to their kids and everybody else’s kids they come in contact with.

Future Mommy Millionaires see opportunity all around them to make the world a better, or prettier, or kinder, or easier place and have the courage and the passion to face the challenge and get it done.

Future Mommy Millionaires are human—not superhuman—and they need love and encouragement and affirmation too. So the next time you’re feeling down in your daily battle to pick yourself up, ask your kids—the nearest, dearest source of all positive affirmation and love in your life: “Who’s the best mom in the world?” If you taught them right, they’ll answer you: “You’re the best mom in the world!”

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Kim is the bestselling author of MOMMY MILLIONAIRE, President of Mommy Millionaire Media—a multi-media company focused on developing traditional and new media opportunities in publishing, TV, radio, social networking, and digital formats—and of Green Daisy—a lifestyle brand focused on balancing life with love™. Identified as America’s expert on inspirational business advice, Kim has appeared on The Today Show, Rachel Ray, NBC & ABC news, CNN,CNBC, NPR, Oprah & Friends Radio Network, LifetimeTV.com, and featured in USA Today, Country Living, Guideposts, Women's World, and American Babyto name a few. Kim is on a mission to empower people to follow their dreams, inspiring them with hope, honesty and faith.

"Everything begins with a search for something better--a dream, an idea, the
courage to face a challenge, and the passion to get it done.
You can do it.
Believe in yourself.
Change the rules.
Join the revolution."
From MOMMY MILLIONAIRE, by Kim Lavine