“We WILL get through this together.”
The Wrong Time to Evaluate
There must be time (often with a glass or two of bourbon) for you to reflect, think about the big picture and evaluate your personal goals. Not having this time to reflect can be damaging. The problem is, entrepreneurs often feel compelled to investigate their personal life only when the shit hits the fan—at the busiest, most inopportune moments in the middle of the business day. This is precisely the time not to do it.
When entrepreneurs feel overwhelmed, the gears come to a stop. Running in quicksand becomes walking in quicksand, and then sinking in quicksand. When this happens, for some reason it causes many of us to use this as an opportunity to evaluate our lives.
The Negative Implications
If you choose to evaluate your life during the most challenging times or in the middle of your day, it can become debilitating.
- Wasted Time and Energy. First – it consumes significant time and energy. When thoughts about the meaning of life arise, they distract us from the tasks at hand—the tasks that advance the business and make the issues of the day improve. More importantly, it consumes energy that would otherwise be used moving the business forward. These thoughts are not easy ones and they tend to bring up a variety of sensitive subjects and emotions. These feelings easily overwhelm and it’s impossible to stay present and attend to your business, while simultaneously evaluating the meaning of life.
- Bad Decisions. Second – these thoughts are often reactive and emotional and result in bad decisions. When the pressure hits you, it is hard to be objective. The grass seems greener, well, everywhere else. If you are venting, it can be harm- less. If you are making decisions and acting, it is a problem. You can’t evaluate whether to fight, and how to fight the fight, when you are still in the middle of the fight.
This is a subtle perspective shift but one that can have a real impact. Taking the time to check in with yourself is critical. But you can’t fight the fight and evaluate your life at the same time. Set a time for yourself every two weeks to check in and take stock of yourself. When the thought creeps into your head in the middle of the day, resist the temptation to address it and wait until your designated time. Put it on your calendar and never miss it.
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