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I've always been a worrier. As far back as I can remember, I've had anxiety about the future. There's definitely a strong genetic element in this and it's taken a lot of work to get it under some degree of control in my life. Most business owners I speak to are the same. Worried about signing their next deal, how AI will impact their business, whether they're losing an edge to their competitors. Insecurity controls them. They're often motivated by the desire to "prove people wrong" as though that will lead to contentment further down the line. But the truth is, it never does. You arrive at your destination and then simply change the goalposts because "that's just what entrepreneurs do". My question to you - and myself - is: when are you going to start living? Ya know, doing things, outside of "work", that actually make us happy and fulfilled? Spending time in nature; raising kids; socialising with other people about things that aren't related to sales & taxes; cooking all day and having a drink with great friends & family as opposed to relying on meal prep. What sparked these random thoughts in me? I've been re-reading (for the 3rd time) my favourite book of all time, Sapiens, and had to pause this morning when skimming this page: It's about the transition that happened during the Agricultural Revolution when humans moved away from foraging, and how it led to worse quality outcomes in life. Despite it leading to a rampant increase in disease, less play, and more hardship, before long, we had no recollection of what life used to be life and just accepted it. The parallels in business are uncanny. Except today, we have access to so many resources and information that there's really no excuse to relentlessly pursue down a destructive path with no consideration for where it's taking us. If that's you (and it's certainly been me - still working on it), slow the **** down one day and just ask yourself, "Why am I doing this?". Spend one full day mulling over this and mapping your life out across these 3 tenets:
And then analyse what's working, what's not, and where you're excessively spending time and compromising other facets of "success". I promise you, it'll reveal some hard truths. And then, of course, you need to get to work on them. Otherwise, what's the point in all this? |
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I took this picture at 9:50pm, late on Wednesday evening at the gym, 10 minutes before closing time. It was my final set of Bulgarian Split Squats - by far my most hated exercise. I've been training hard since I was 14 years old, but no matter how often I do this exercise, the sense of dread I have each week when this time approaches never fades. It's hard, it makes me feel sick, and I'm already exhausted from work & being a dad. Every ounce of my body and mind resists it and tries to conjure...
At the beginning of this year, I made 2 vows to myself with my work: Lose the ego and practice humility Relentlessly track inputs and daily behaviours I believe that I will achieve everything I’m aiming for with my business if I exclusively practice these two vows alone. Why focus on these two? Most of the time in business, you lose because you become cynical over time. You start doing things because “that’s the way it’s always been done”. Innovation becomes stagnant as you lose the desire to...
Quick update this week as I need to fit the gym in before it closes. It’s about the power of detachment and momentum and why they’re so important to your business and how they’re intertwined. Last week, I discussed how I’d spent the year grappling with a personal crisis that had led to constant, reactive decision-making. It led to feelings of hopelessness and paralysis. I couldn’t see any way forward until I started to map out my daily inputs again. This year, I promised myself things would...