When I tell people that I started my own business three years ago, most people say things like, “I could never do that” or “You’re braver than I am.” When I tell them this is my fourth business and how the first three failed, their eyes get even wider. I must be courageous, stubborn, or perhaps a little crazy (I think it’s all three).

Since so few people are willing to call me stubborn or crazy to my face, they focus on the courageous part. How does one find the courage to overcome his fears and take action despite the potential risk? And, even more so, how do you find the courage to start something important when the past seems to say “you’ve failed before, you’ll fail again?”