Did you know most baseball players’ vision is better than 20/20? It needs to be. Players need to see the ball in the pitcher’s hand sixty feet away and make the snap decision of swinging the bat.
The best batters in the league can see the ball clearly and predict its approach.
If everything goes right, they swing, send the ball far from the opposing fielders, and run as fast as they can.
Because batting is a guessing game, pitchers invented the curveball. The ball appears to go one direction, but drastically changes direction in mid-air.
What does this have to do with business and entrepreneurship?
Well, life throws curveballs at us. In business, it can feel like we only get it right one-third of the time, just like the major leagues. We have to know how to keep our eye on the ball and make adjustments. Otherwise, we risk striking out, or worse… succeeding at something that was never our target.
If I had to start over, I would focus WAY more on adjusting my mindset. Here’s an episode of my podcast explaining why.
Don’t Sacrifice ‘Right Now’ for ‘Someday’
We live in an optimized, efficient, high-achieving culture. Our work defines us. Lots of podcasts, books, and webinars can show you how to have the most productive hour, half-hour, or ten-minutes possible. These influencers “seem” to have business figured out.
They try to tell us what’s important. When I look at my Facebook feed, most of the ads I see try to convince me that making tons of money with very little effort is the ultimate goal in life. I’m tempted to buy into a lifestyle that someone else has decided for me.
We often buy what these people sell, and sacrifice our present enjoyment in the name of building the future.
This undercuts the reason we started. For example, we become entrepreneurs for the freedom it provides, and then find ourselves working from 5 a.m. til midnight everyday. We start an online business hoping for more time with our families, only to end up less engaged than ever before.
We hope our sacrifices will pay off “down the road,” but the future is never guaranteed. We also have to take care of “right now.”
If you want better results and more breathing room from your current skills, knowledge, and ideas, check out my FREE e-guide, The M.I.L.K. It Method.
3 Principles For Living Right Now
Instead of spending your energy building your dream lifestyle, spend some energy living your dream lifestyle today.
- Remind Yourself Why You Started.
Pause for a second. You may be skimming this article, looking for something good to take with you before moving on to another 150 things on your plate. Stop, take a deep breath, and refocus. Turn off the distractions, and get alone if you can. Yes, I’m serious.
Write out the main reasons you started this journey. What kind of life did you want to live? What does “success” look like for you?
Most people list things like freedom, time with family, the ability to help and influence people, and setting your own vacation schedule.
Have you neglected the present, to achieve this hypothetical future?
- Take Care of Right Now
Ask yourself how you can experience some of your original “why” during your day-to-day life. If you wait until you get “down the road,” you’ll wait forever. You’ll have a miserable life, always hoping (but never seeing) things improve.
Reject that mindset, and build a life that fulfills some of your deepest desires right now.
I know people who became entrepreneurs so they could have “freedom and rest from the everyday rat race.” Obviously, they had to sacrifice their freedom at the beginning in order to build a business. But they didn’t stay that way.
To solve this problem, some people designate one day a week to completely unplug and do what makes them feel rested. Others have a “no checking email after the workday is over” policy. They don’t want to become slaves to their work, to gain more freedom.
Taking care of yourself right now doesn’t mean saying “goodbye” to your ambition. It means to have a little bit of “someday,” today. What can you do to take care of some of your deeper desires?
- Make The Time
You have to intentionally add time into your schedule. You can’t leave it to chance, and nobody will do it for you.
If you plan to unplug once a week, write it into your schedule. You can set up your email, phone, and other communication channels to “silent” on that day.
If you need to spend more time with your family, put something on the calendar. It could be as simple as visiting the park, or watching a movie.
If you want more control over your vacation schedule, start planning your next vacation. Don’t wait for your dream to arrive, before you make it happen.
Don’t sacrifice the present for a future that may never come. Build your dreams into your current schedule, so that you can enjoy the journey.
If you’re on the fence and thinking about starting the journey, check out my latest podcast episode: Is Now A Good Time to Start a Business?
