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Else, what is the point in achieving anything?
Todays world can sometimes be a little bleak. Being honest, it is bleak a lot of the time. Things and fads appear and disappear daily, with everything becoming yesterday’s news quicker than ever. Everything, and everyone, is judged by everyone, and everything. The political landscape is one turn away from nuclear war. People’s anger and discontent is higher than ever. All in all it can be hard to think about the positives.
“What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realised it sooner” — Sidonie Gabrielle Colette
It is no different in a startup. There is always something of concern. Dark clouds can hang overhead for long periods of time. Money is tight, or gone. Clientele is in danger of drying up. Business is stagnating. Founder fatigue. Founder friction. Investment has run out. Whatever it is, it can be all consuming. It is tiring, and at times defeating. It takes so much time, effort, and endeavour to be successful in a startup.
Here is the reality.
We never take time to stop, look at our achievements, and be proud.
It is a sad thought, isn’t it?
You go through school, passing exams. Well done, here is the next one. You graduate from university, well done, now get a job. You get a job, well done, get a house. It goes on and on.
In work, people make business less about reward, and more about output. It is always a pressure cooker. It’s a conveyor belt of jobs, roles and responsibilities. There is always a long to-do-list. Finish something, get on to the next task. Keep ticking. Keep scoring off until we reach the bottom of the list, which by then has hopefully led to success. Or a new to-do-list to work through.
That is fine. That is business.
It is good to be productive. It is important to get things done, and not succumb to procrastination or unproductiveness. For startups, they are always trying to get ahead, and stay ahead. Therefore the relentless pace is somewhat understandable.
The business landscape has become so cut throat, due to the highly competitive marketplace for virtually every product and company in existence. It is always eyes on the prize, always focused on the end goal.
there are so many steps to take first. This relentless pace can lead to everybody overlooking a very important part of starting a company, or in fact work of every description. Why shouldn’t there be enjoyment along the way?
It really boils down to this.
What is the point in achieving anything, if you don’t take some personal satisfaction from it? Why build something, if you don’t take a step back, and smile at your accomplishments?
To get a startup off the ground, and have any success, however little, is one hell of achievement. Think about it. You have formed an idea, or concept, from nothing. You have spent time refining it, laying the foundations around it, reiterating until it is feasible. You have formed a business. A brand. A business plan. Marketing materials. Social media presence. You might have gained investment. You got your first client. Then many more. You’ve made some money. You might have hired some staff. You might have expanded the business. After all that, you are probably still working at a 1000%, annoyed that you still feel so far away from your end goals. Stop for a second. How many achievements have you accomplished amongst all those steps? And how many did you actually celebrate, or at least recognise?
Have a beer, or 10 to celebrate. Have a party. Buy everyone a donut, or 10. There is no shame in putting on the brakes and enjoying what you have achieved. It is good for morale. It will be good for your health, and your team’s health. Happy staff work harder. As will you. They will also stay longer, as might you.
Don’t downplay what you get done. Don’t see everything as just an essential, yet inferior step in the ladder to the top. Everyone wants to get to the top, but it is so, so important to enjoy the journey along the way.
Long term aims and goals are fundamental to a business. There is no argument against that. But at times you need to put a bit more focus on the now. When these goals are broken down into smaller tasks, you will realise there is so much you have accomplished, and so much more you will accomplish before you reach that end game. Take a step back once in a while, crack open a beer, and revel in your self glory once in a while. What is the point in starting your own business, if you can’t enjoy it?
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