Entrepreneurship, and goal-setting period, is a marathon—not a sprint. Do not over-extend yourself in the short term so often that you spend more time recovering than you would taking time to rest along the way.
One of the emerging habits of today’s greatest minds and entrepreneurial souls is meditation. In the morning, take five or ten minutes to sit quietly with yourself and envision the day to come. Use these moments of silence to get in tune with where you are at that day, and what you can do to be both productive and at the same time content.
Keeping a clear head over the long-term is what’s going to allow you to make it through storms of confusion or conflict, and also help you make better decisions as to the best way to move forward.
This cannot be stressed enough.
As an entrepreneur, it is your job to be a specialized-generalist—that is, someone who has enough knowledge on every relevant industry, niche, market, skill set and specialization to be able to understand it, speak to it, and give appropriate direction. You are the leader, after all. And in order to lead effectively, you’re going to need to be well versed.
Some people, however, aren’t great readers (or absolutely despise it). I would still challenge you to acquire the skill, but if nothing else, turn to podcasts, audio books, and informational videos. The point here is to constantly be filling your knowledge buckets. If your work output is so high that you never have time for any “input” activities (like studying your craft, industry, etc.) then things are out of balance.
Make time for input.
In other words, pick up a copy of Keith Ferrazzi’s, Never Eat Alone.
One of the most effective ways for you to spend your time as an entrepreneur is over a meal with someone else. You have to eat anyways, so why not share it with someone you would like to meet, or need to catch up with, or want to learn from? It’s one of those simple schedule tweaks that can allow you to get double the return on your time—instead of eating by yourself and then scheduling a meeting with someone the following hour. Just meet them for lunch. And if anything, food or coffee or drinks will make both of you feel more comfortable and allow for a better conversation to be had.
You can only sacrifice self-care for so long before your body retaliates on you. Again: remember that entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint.
In order to keep yourself grounded and level-headed, do not forget the value of 45 minutes in the gym. That’s all you need to get back in your body and out of the chaos in your head.
Another great way to double-up on time here is to combine meetings with gym sessions. Meet a partner, a client, or a networking connection for a lift. However, be wary of doing this too often. The real purpose here is to take a step away from the busyness of work and to get back to your center.
Many entrepreneurs will attest to having a ground of friends or associates they can turn to for advice, insight, or even just motivation along the way. Today, many of these groups exist in programs like Slack where people can communicate on-the-go and across the country, if needed. But their purpose still remains: support each other.
The reason it’s valuable to have this sort of group in your life, and why you should check in with someone on a daily basis is to help keep yourself accountable. It doesn’t need to be a meeting or a major discussion. Just a quick update so that people involved feel compelled to hold themselves (and each other) responsible.
At the end of each day, audit yourself and see where you’re at. Some days, you’re going to need to go to sleep a bit early to catch up. Other days, you’ll have no problem grinding away until three in the morning. Both are ok. What’s important is that you stay aware of your current state over the long-term.
The more you can learn to listen to yourself as an entrepreneur, the longer you will effectively be able to run your marathon. If you burn the candle at both ends for too long, you’ll burn out. And if you don’t ever push yourself, you’ll likely remain stagnant. It’s a balancing act, and one you have to work to master every single day.
The sooner you become aware of the craving the easier it will be to overcome it. You don’t want to have to fight the craving when the object of desire is already in your reach. By that point, the craving may already be too strong for you to overcome.
Please refer to the blog for more details on this activity.
The key component of urge surfing is your awareness. The goal is to sit back, watch these desires, and really become attuned to them. Don’t act, just observe – like a scientist observing something under a microscope.
It really helps to pinpoint what it is that creates your craving experience. This includes both physical sensations and mental sensations, including certain thought patterns that may be running through your head (“One more won’t hurt me.”), or mental imagery. Often the more aware you become of your craving experience, the more you understand the anatomy of your desires.
Often times our addictive behaviors are influenced by certain triggers in our environment. For example, hanging around at a bar makes it harder to resist the temptation to drink alcohol than if you were hanging out at a cafe instead. In the same way, associating with certain people may make you more likely to engage in an addictive behavior than if you chose a different group of friends to associate with. Being mindful of these environmental triggers can be an important part of urge surfing and better understanding your addiction. Learn to avoid these triggers in the future and you’ll have an easier time overcoming these negative habits.
The takeaway lesson of urge surfing is that all of our thoughts and feelings are impermanent, including our desires. By showing a little patience, and remembering the inherent “transient nature” of our desires, we can remind ourselves that it is possible to ride out these cravings until they inevitably pass.
If you want, you can also accommodate your urge surfing with a helpful mantra. Repeating an affirmation such as, “this too shall pass” or “I can ride out this desire” will help replace unhelpful thoughts with a more stable state of mind.
Like most of the techniques and tools I share on this site, “urge surfing” is something that you will get better at the more you practice. Don’t expect to try this one time and be free from your addictive habits. It’s more likely this will take a few trials and errors before you begin getting good at it.