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November 7, 2022

If you hadn’t noticed already, burnout is on the rise. We are in year three of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lines between work and home life continue to be blurred, work loads are higher in response to the Great Resignation, and people are spread thinner than ever. This is a global crisis.

And it’s not just frontline workers; Burnout is reaching into the depths of all fields. Burnout presents in different ways for different people. Have you lost your patience with people in your life? Are you getting sick all the time? Have any chronic pain? Do you have a temper or irritation that just won’t quit?

You might be burnt to a crisp.

For some people it takes a mental or emotional crisis before we change. For others it is burnout manifesting through physical ailments that forces us to take a break. (Take an entrepreneur for a beer and see how many mention sleep issues or talk about anxiety). Regardless of what stops us from taking time off (feeling overwhelmed/too busy, layoffs leading to more work, worried about falling behind) , the importance of taking a break cannot be overstated. If your health is suffering, your performance probably is too. .

As Alan Cohen says, “There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.”

If any of this post resonated, or made you think, “this sounds like me”: this is an immediate call to action. Whether you are taking a staycation and spending time alone, heading into nature to camp, or traveling somewhere totally new, do it!

Step away.

Gain perspective.

Breathe.

October 24, 2022

Starting a company is all about business, and that’s the most important thing, right? Wrong. Entrepreneurship is about so much more than business. Are you offering a product or service? Yes, but there is a whole different level that exists that I would argue is much more important: Your personal development. Business problems are usually personal problems.

If you want…

… a crash course in personal development, be an entrepreneur.

… to be riddled with self doubt, anxiety and insecurity, be an entrepreneur.

… to see your issues, roadblocks and insecurities exposed (including the stuff you don’t want to deal with, or aren’t yet fully aware of) be an entrepreneur.

… to overcome all of those things, be an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurship offers business as the medium to experience all of your shit. And overcome it. It is forced self reflection, personal development and growth on steroids. But no one really talks about it.

Why do some businesses fail while others succeed? Is it having the best product, service or execution? Sure, those things matter. At times they matter a lot. But if you can’t handle (or get your basic needs met without) the lack of security, unstable paycheck, or delayed revenue and take another job, or if you become disillusioned and decide you want to do something else, none of the aspects of personal development matter. It’s like Henry Ford once said, “whether you think you can or can’t, you are right.”

Entrepreneurship is messy. It can feel overwhelming. Defeating. Impossible. These are all simply emotions that surface on your journey. Some people ignore them and keep going. I would encourage you to listen to those emotions and keep going.

On the other side of the mess, self doubt and fear lies experience, wisdom and most importantly self understanding and mastery. I’d argue those traits are even more important than conventional “business” success.

August 22, 2022

Conversation. It’s the foundation of all relationships and yet it’s easy to avoid having the important ones. I used to be really good at having challenging conversations. I’d lean into them and quickly restore harmony in a relationship if something happened (a weird moment, distance in a friendship, a loved one needing acknowledgment or validation). Over the past years though, not so much. Instead I’ve fallen back into a pattern of avoiding the discomfort. I’ve played it safe. There is a time and a place to let things lie. But often it’s the conversation I’m avoiding (knowingly or unknowingly) that will restore the relationship, leaving it better than before.

It’s also ironic. That in me playing it safe or staying in my comfort zone, I’m often doing the relationship a disservice. By not communicating my specific needs, or fully acknowledging the other’s needs, I’m holding us back.

So starting now, I’m going to get better. I’ve already had two this past week and the results were overwhelmingly positive. Why? Because the fear of having the conversation is usually related to hypothetical what ifs (what if they don’t react well? What if it’s awkward? etc.). And once you overcome the fear of having the conversation, and actually have it, the benefits are numerous: both of you feel more connected, understand each other more, and you build trust and rapport through vulnerability. In a way, problems in relationships are opportunities to become closer.

If there’s a conversation you need to have, I’d invite you to have it. It will probably be a step in the right direction. Usually our fear of how the other person will react is overblown. And even if it doesn’t go well, you will learn from it and be better equipped the next time a challenging conversation arises. Win win.

August 15, 2022

In the book Tuesdays with Morrie, Morrie identifies three things that a human being needs to devote to in life: love, community, and purpose. “Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” In other words, we are kind of like Golden Retrievers, at the dog park, playing fetch with our owners. We are loving others (our owners), community (other dogs) and with a clear purpose (to fetch the ball).

When we reframe our work to our purpose, the time we spend dedicated to work shifts to doing something for ourselves and for the good of the world, rather than clocking in just to get things done. Our work can also be our passion and bring us happiness (who knew!).

In the face of the Great Resignation, we have come to learn that the concept of our career and the work that we do has drastically changed in the last couple of years. People want their work to matter, and have a purpose. People want to enjoy doing their jobs. The way to start getting to that point is to ask yourself three basic things:

Do I love this work enough to do it for the next 5-10 years of my life?

Will I build the community I want by doing this work?

What greater purpose does this work serve?

With these three questions in mind, then maybe we can get to a place where work works for us. Thanks, Morrie!