Brian Tracy, an author and speaker has been around for a long time. He once said, “You are the architect of your own destiny; you are the master of your own fate; you are behind the steering wheel of your life. There are no limitations to what you can do, have or be—except the limitations you place on yourself by your own thinking.”

These words, spoken in different ways by others throughout history, unlock the shackles many of us place on ourselves by thinking we can’t do, have or be whatever we want. This belief springboards our success the moment we decide to take that great idea we have and turn it into something wonderful.

Somewhere deep inside, entrepreneurs already harbor this understanding. Whether it’s a product, a service or an invention, our belief in limitless possibility is what has prompted many of us to leave jobs—even jobs with secure futures—to allow our dreams to take flight. This belief is what moves us forward as we climb, and carries us through the rough spots of our entrepreneurial journeys.

The last few years have brought with them a perplexing economy. Entrepreneurs are experiencing challenges we may never have expected as the world continues to change. Things are different than they’ve ever been and we’re learning how to position our businesses for survival.

Here are a few survival skills that if you cultivate will help smooth out the jagged edges of economic shifts and help keep your business afloat in trying times:

• Always have a plan—a business plan, a marketing plan and a budget.
• Be willing to change your plan if you learn something new.
• Learn the difference between making conservative decisions and acting from a place of fear.
• Keep getting educated. Learn the tools that will help you stay current in our new economy and global marketplace.
• Know which tasks are necessary for income generation and which can be delegated or outsourced.
• Stay positive and optimistic and avoid negative people and conversations.
• Be willing to stop throwing good money after bad.

The last item on that list is probably the most challenging. I’ll talk more about each of these in future blogs. For now, if you haven’t already done so, start thinking about your plan. It is and will always be the foundation of your succesor failure.

Daven Michaels is a New York Times Best Selling Author and CEO of premiere global outsourcing company, 123Employee, http://www.123Employee. The company employs hundreds of young bright individuals on three continents. His International event, B.comeyond Business Live! http://www.BeyondBusinessLive.com inspires entrepreneurs to meet challenges head-on in with revolutionary new theories and systems allowing them to design the business and personal lifestyles of their dreams.