Set goals and work hard to achieve them. In the process, make sacrifices. That’s what we’ve been taught and what I’m doing.
When we target objectives, we have an unfortunate tendency to forget to live in the present. We dwell on our past to remember the good times and prefer to project ourselves towards a potentially better future (promotion, holidays, next big objectives, etc.). We cling to this future knowing well that we do not control much and that life can prepare many surprises for us.
During the early days of Seedstars, I was always looking for the next big partnership, for the next growth phase, for the next key hire, etc. When I listen to a piece of music, I don't go straight to the end because that's where it all comes together? When I read a book, I don't jump straight to the last chapter because it’s the climax? Yet in life, we are obsessed with ends…
I wish I had celebrated the wins along our journey rather than constantly planning the next steps. I wish I had lived the present instead of looking at the future.
Our Japanese friends have an idiom “ichi-go ichi-e” to treasure the unrepeatable nature of a moment. The term has been translated as "for this time only". It is this state of being that we must find in our daily actions, giving meaning to the smallest tasks. This requires reviewing our scale of values and to no longer consider any task as boring, we can come to appreciate them, to control our negative emotions, to no longer worry about the judgment of others.
Society vs. Science
Society wants us to follow a predestined path: school, university, work, promotion, family, home and retirement to finally enjoy life... We become obsessed with the future because we are aware of the path we should be following and only question its legitimacy when faced with failure, success or when it’s too late.
We have been conditioned to chase a potential better future and think that’s when we’d be happy. However, this is a never ending pattern as when we reach our goals, we set more ambitious ones, again (the famous hamster wheel).
It has been scientifically proven that our brains don’t work like that. We must train the latter (daily) to be happy, to live the present moment in order to create this future where we succeed. Just like we dance through an entire piece of music, we must be present in every moment without worrying (too much) about what will happen next. The path we take is often times more important than the final destination.
Explore the “why” before the “when”
I have always naively thought that selling a company would be the pinnacle of my goals. But instead of feeling fulfilled, I was left confused about the meaning of my work.
"What are my motivations?" or, if you wish to go further in your reflection, "Who am I" are questions that deserve to be explored before you start your professional life. Entrepreneurs tend to focus on the “what” (product, market, industry, etc) rather than the “why”, but the latter is not less important than the former. Some great resources on this topic are: The Founder’s Dilemma by Noam Wasserman, Mercenaries vs. Missionaries by John Doerr and Opportunity vs. Necessity, introduced by the World Bank's Open Knowledge Repository.
“Everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” Jim Carrey
Without knowing the “why” you risk capsizing your boat at the first sign of a storm. With Seedstars, we pivoted towards a mission (impacting people’s lives in emerging markets through technology and entrepreneurship) which could take us to the moon and is my “why”. Surrounded by brilliant and dedicated people, with a fulfilling family life, an interesting financial upside, everything is aligned to focus on “Today”. The cards are in my hands to take full advantage of the present to succeed in the future.
Very interesting thoughts - I can't agree more on the importance of focussing on the present!