Start-Up is a word that makes me cringe. It brings back memories of long, sleepless nights, hoping that my investment of time and resources would pay off. Failure wasn’t in my dictionary; I had the burning desire to do something big, and I wasn’t going to let myself fall short of my most spectacular dreams.
Entrepreneurship is something far more exciting to me. It’s a word that reminds me that failure isn’t a limit, but an opportunity to learn and pivot to future success. A start-up is a single project, entrepreneurship is a lifestyle.
If you’re like me, getting up off the couch and transforming daydreams into reality is an exciting prospect fraught with the fear of failure. Get up, get going and start doing. Here’s how!
Fuel Up!
There’s virtually nothing worse than feeling tired and weary from the long hours required to become a successful entrepreneur. I’ve never been afraid of working hard, but fatigue impacts judgement and negatively impacts your business. I don’t have a quick-fix for cutting the hours required for success, but I have found a couple solutions for fighting through the long hours.
You need to think of your body as a racecar that needs proper maintenance and fuel to go the distance at top speed. Living life in the Fastlane isn’t for the weak of heart. But, with better nutrition and regular exercise, you’ll find that you can work longer hours and minimize burnout.
How would feeling more energized and more confident about your body image impact your daily life? Even outside of work, having more pep in your step and looking healthier can have far-reaching benefits.
Critical Action Steps:
- Make exercise mandatory. Regular exercise can “…reduce anxiety and improve overall mental health.” (source)
- Hitting the road? Pack healthy snacks and avoid fast-food. “Some examples of the perfect road trip protein snacks include yogurt, cheese, crackers, energy or protein bars, and turkey jerky.” (source)
- Utilize a standing desk, or work in regular breaks from sitting to “…reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.” (source)
Leverage Your Passion to Improve Your Mood
Yes, we live in a time where everyone tells you to do whatever feels good. While I think discipline and hard work are important and trump the idea of doing whatever feels good, there are a significant number of studies that show people who are happy tend to perform better at work.
When I embraced the entrepreneur lifestyle, I adjusted my goals to center around the things in life that I’m most passionate about. Almost instantly, my to-do list transformed into a “get to do!” list. I was excited by the prospect of waking up every morning and tackling the tasks on my list.
There was still anxiety and stress, but it was all attached to the things I wanted to achieve in life. I had found my groove and it felt like the wind was at my back, propelling me forward towards my destiny.
10X Management published a fantastic article talking about the power of happiness, and its impact on business. In the article, they point out studies that show a happy brain increases productivity by 31 percent; improves sales by 37 percent; improves the likelihood of a promotion at work by 40 percent and happy entrepreneurs are three times more likely to find solutions to problems.
The power of happiness is an amazing secret weapon that can be unleashed in virtually any setting.
Critical Action Steps:
- Focus on being gracious for the opportunities and advantages you have in your daily life.
- Choose to spend time focusing on becoming happy, especially when things become difficult.
- Gratitude, envisioning a positive future and optimistically viewing the people in our daily lives help me to feel happy and energized to fight on.
The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. It’s your job to get up and going. It’s my sincere hope that my suggestion to get fit and get passionate help you to achieve your wildest dreams. Don’t make the mistake of dreaming instead of doing.
Set a goal, do the research, create an action plan and get going! I promise you the feeling of chasing a meaningful goal is like nothing else; suddenly every moment of your life has purpose. Are you ready to rendezvous with destiny?
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