Not everyone has what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Some are waiting for perfect timing. Others have a need for security. But the most common reason is the wrong mindset.

If you want to step out you’ll have to conquer all of the above. Entrepreneurship is neither simple nor easy, but for you it may be necessary to your sanity.

Here are 5 ways to know you are ready to be an entrepreneur:

1. You don’t fit in

If you are working in a job and making good money then you should be happy. That’s what all the normal people think. “Just be glad you have a job.” But you aren’t glad. The thought of working at the same place, with the same people, on the same schedule for the next 20 years is enough to make you ready to throw in the towel.

Having a job doesn’t work for you. It’s not just that you don’t fit in, it’s that you don’t want to fit in. If you don’t fit in working for someone else, then it’s time to work for yourself.

2. You think differently

Apple made the phrase “Think Different” into the calling card of a generation. For you thinking differently means that your mind is constantly solving problems. Ideas for new ways of doing things come to you unbidden. You can’t understand why everyone just keeps moving along the same path without considering how it could be improved.

Sometimes you wake from a dead sleep with a new plan and have to write it down. When someone comes to you with a dilemma or you see an unsolved situation on the news you start brainstorming. Your mind tends to jump from topic to topic, always looking for the innovative answer. If you think differently then you may be ready to become an entrepreneur.

“Let’s go invent tomorrow instead of worrying about what happened yesterday.” – Steve Jobs

3. You’re always pushing for change

Facebook used to have a simple mantra for developers, “Move fast and break things.” Although CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently updated the motto to deal with bugs in code, the principle is still valuable. You’re the one at work who keeps giving the boss new ideas. You know there is a better way and you won’t be happy until you try it.

Most of your family has told you more than once, “Just leave well enough alone” or “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” Seriously. It drives you crazy. Well enough is ridiculous. You want the best possible! If you’re always pushing for change then maybe it’s time to become an entrepreneur.

4. You can’t stand having a ceiling

You have a manager. They have a manager. Next possibly a president or CEO. Perhaps your corporate infrastructure is more complex. The point is you’re not the person at the top. You want to make the decisions, call the shots. Your need to push for change keeps getting thwarted by people above you. Then there is your pay. It’s controlled by a union, on a pay scale or what is “applicable for the job description.” Don’t even think about asking for a raise that is above market average.

Look around you. Check out the people making the great money, running things their way. They don’t have a ceiling and neither should you. Becoming an entrepreneur can blow through any ceiling.

5. You know it’s possible

You’re the crazy one. The one who has tried 3, 4 or a dozen different things. Your friends and family have bought more network marketing products from you than they’ll ever admit. You’ve read the books, gone to the events and listened to the podcasts.

Your mind is primed for the top. Think and Grow Rich is on the book shelf and you’re following Sir Richard Branson on Twitter. You are in entrepreneurial social media groups, attend entrepreneur meetings and shop local businesses just to help another person following their dreams. You don’t just have belief, you have knowledge. Time and hustle are all you need for success. If you know it’s possible to have your freedom then it’s time to become an entrepreneur.

“There is no security in this earth, there is only opportunity.” -General Douglas MacArthur

There are a thousand reasons to stay in a safe, secure, stable job. Except you know that there is no such thing.

If any one of the items listed above is true for you then you may be ready to become an entrepreneur. But if two or more are true then you almost certainly are ready. If you don’t pursue your dreams you’ll only have yourself to blame.

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