An energy within each of us is looking for a way to express itself. So says John Murphy, author of Zentrepreneur and a business consultant based in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Yet some people think that Bill Gates or Steve Jobs or Thomas Edison or their favorite change agents are real entrepreneurs, but that they are not. They are neither creative people nor  innovators, they claim. “We start talking ourselves out of the very life force that’s flowing through us,” says Murphy. Most people are their own worst enemies. “They talk themselves out of ideas,” he says.

John Murphy 1According to Murphy, a zentrepreneur combines good, positive well-being with action. But his book doesn’t delve deep into the zen side of zentrepreneurs, because he was wary of coming off “too zen-like.” Corporations aren’t ready for that, he explained. Instead each chapter contains practical business models to help companies work better.

Entrepreneurs have to be willing to act and put themselves out there. As a quarterback at Notre Dame, Murphy knew that when he walked up to the line of scrimmage, he was taking a risk. When that ball snapped, he might score a touchdown or he might get hurt. Things wouldn’t always go his way.

Murphy has taken many risks himself. He ran a gardening and landscaping business while still a kid, went into finance after college, tried his hand at writing children’s books, and now runs his own business. “I’ve taken some swings and misses,” he says. “That’s life.”

Among his consulting services, he helps teams at companies remove barriers and constraints like doubt, limiting beliefs, and negative assumptions—so that real changes can be made.

To help entrepreneurs and others let go and get out of their own way so they can fearlessly venture forth, Murphy leads a “Let Go Now” workshop that is designed to help people release self defeating thoughts and what he calls mental viruses. Some of the approaches he deploys include meditation and a trauma release exercise that involves physically shaking off fears and stress to clear the mind, body, and soul.

“It doesn’t do you any good,” he says, “to go through life with the brakes on.”