Being an Entrepreneur and Having a Life

When you think about an entrepreneur, you most likely picture a person who is extremely busy and always on the go. This person barely sleeps, is constantly working and has no time to waste on the small things in life. This image is what most individuals feel they must fulfill and imitate in order to be considered a legitimate entrepreneur. People mistakenly feel they must rid themselves of all things enjoyable and irrelevant to their entrepreneurial pursuits in order to become successful. While it may work in a few cases; working hard without time spared for relaxation and enjoyment can be quite hazardous.

Entrepreneurship does not mean you have to be a slave to work but rather a good manager of how to use your time wisely and efficiently. Being an entrepreneur means that your actions and efforts dictate the potential outcome of your journey; which most people rationalize as a mandatory, non-stop work schedule. The problem with working non-stop though, is you stay too busy sometimes unable to see how your actions affect the bigger picture. When you are constantly in work mode your mind is focused on the tasks at hand, tuning out anything you consider to be useless to your pursuits. Working in this manner can backfire though because your intense focus can lead you in the wrong direction without you even noticing so. That is why it is important to take time to enjoy the simplicities of life so you can step back and examine your construction while it is in progress.

For instance I workout at least one hour Monday-Thursday and I spend quality time with my daughter when she is at my place during the week. On the weekends I usually try to rest, ride around in my car (a Challenger which I love) and hang out with my female friend. Doing these things help me reflect on what I have done so far, where I am at currently and where I want to be in the future. Being at the gym helps me reflect upon my day, being with my daughter inspires me to create a better future for her, the time spent with my car motivates me to work hard in order to keep it and being with my female friend drives me to work harder so we can do more during our time together on the weekends. When you take the time to relax and enjoy yourself, you can sometimes identify ways to better enhance your work efficiency and productivity. That down time lets your mind and body rest for a moment so they can reenergize in order to continue doing the hard work entrepreneurship demands of you and plus we all need a life that is separate from work.

Life is such a complex and fragile existence that cannot be taken for granted. Sure we work hard in order to live a better life but what good is working hard if you cannot enjoy what you are working so hard for. I used to be the type that was all work and no play but have recently began to realize that life is too short to not truly live it. Sometimes when we work too hard our minds begin to repel against anything that does not reflect our dominating thoughts, causing you to produce unneeded stress and anxiety. Why make yourself more stressed than what the existence in this challenging world already creates? Do what you have to do in order to survive, prosper and get ahead but also take the time to really embrace the opportunity you have to live. When your final moment arrives will you be able to smile and say, “you lived your life to the fullest” or will you regret the time you wasted on trying to work non-stop without any enjoyment? As entrepreneurs we have to realize that we cannot spend all of our time trying to work longer hours than the next person in order to appear so busy and successful. The saying is, “work smarter not harder.” Stop trying to emulate the stories that describe the insane work hours some entrepreneurs put in. Do what you do, do it to the best of your ability and have fun while doing so. Remember, “work hard but play harder.”

Also checkout my previous post about life I wrote last year: Live Life