One of the problems entrepreneurs face is having too many options, too much time, and too little focus. This calls for you to imagine that you don’t have infinite time, that you have one bullet left in your pistol.
Everyone around you is pointing at different targets. Everyone thinks that their target is the most important, interesting, or potentially rewarding.
They call you, they describe their target in depth, they tell you about how after you help them hit their target, you will finally get what you are looking for (they don’t have a clue what you want).
And then you are left with your own thoughts, wondering which target you want to hit, but your voice has been drowned out. Years of listening to people: parents, teachers, bosses, friends, older siblings finally muted this once all powerful voice from within.
You are left alone, and regretful of the opportunities that promise glory, but that you chose not to pursue, and time passes, and you get older. Simultaneous experiences are occurring around you, the people from your past are going their own way, and you are growing more doubtful of your decision.
Will your plan succeed? Is it not another iteration of a subjective target that you believe to be the most important, interesting, or potentially rewarding? Your mind then falls into the same trapped thought pattern: what if I’m wrong?
More doubts…
And then you ask yourself: “Does it feel right?” The answer is: “Yes, it feels right.” And then you ask, “Am I making progress?” And the answer is “Yes, I am making progress.” And then finally, in frustration you demand an answer to your final question: “Why do I feel so restless?”
And then you think to yourself, that perhaps that is why some people meditate. That is why vacations are necessary. Perhaps you need to numb your mind a little, maybe go out for a drink. Or maybe a break in your routine will serve you good. And then another vicious part of you rises up to the surface and tells you something you did not want to hear before.
“You fool, it is that tension that keeps you going. Without it, without frustration and angst, without insecurity and self-doubt, you will remain in place, fixed like a content cow on a field, neither going forward nor backwards. Life is about all feeling, not some of it. The sweetness of success can only be experiences through the pain of your misery, as if the latter was the only vessel that could take you to your destination.”
You remember that people are deceptive, that feelings of loss and insecurity comes from other people, not from yourself. If you were left alone, there would be no tension. So you must learn to embrace tension. You must learn to ravish the fight, the feelings of doubt, you must learn to observe them and learn from them. They speak to you about yourself, your values, and what you deeply want. This doesn’t mean you must be a slave to them, but in the same way we read the news to know what’s going on in the world, it is good to know which state your mind is in.
The world is full of deceptive people, but that doesn’t mean you should evade it, or scorn at it. Learn the rules of the game. Meditate on what it means to be human – realize that deception is a fundamental part of it. It is hard to imagine deceptive robots or dogs but it is impossible to imagine a person who is not slightly mischievous or deceptive.
When they tell you to come closer, to pay attention to their targets so that you can be happier. Do not push them away, smile at them. Tell them to tell you more. Of course, they are trying to misdirect you, but you have learned about a new method that can be used against you, which will make you smarter.
But always remember, that you have one bullet – you cannot spread your energies too thin.
People want you to believe that you have infinite energy and it would be no harm to spare some of it towards them, but do not fall for the trap. One week will turn into one month, one month will turn into one year, and one year will turn into one decade.
Be highly discerning about where you spend your energies. Focus on what you really want, and if the distractions come, learn from them, but don’t be a bumbling fool, moving from venture to the next, restlessly pursuing a goal that is ephemeral, meaningless, or not suitable for you.