I recently attended a meeting with a large group of fellow entrepreneurial types. All of them very successful in their careers. We were asked to create goal lists and vision boards. Many of us went kicking and screaming into the exercise since the very creation of a vision board involves, markers, scissors and glue sticks…very CEO-ish. For the uninitiated, the purpose of a vision board is to create a visual daily reminder of the goals and objectives that are driving your daily business efforts.
It struck me that a very high percentage of the group had very materialistic visions on their boards. The reason that it struck me as odd is that when we work with most of our clients, and in fact if you talk to most entrepreneurs, one of the most common ‘whys’ for getting into business in the first place is to spend more time with their families.
In this group the emphasis seemed to have changed. B’cuz Why? I wondered.
Did the success of their business feed a hidden greed gene? Had it taken so long to develop the success that they were in ‘reward mode’? Or had they simply forgotten, in the heat of the daily battle, the reason they were building their businesses in the first place?
Don’t get me wrong, each person’s inspiration is theirs, and theirs alone. I’m not judging anyone, truth be told I have my toys and my wish list for others.
I do also think that we ALL take our families for granted at times. We have to remember that our vision is probably not theirs and we have to respect theirs as well and integrate theirs into our daily life. My bet is that very high on their list is a wish for more time with us. A good way to get to the truth here is to do a family vision board.
A couple of years ago, as I was building one of our businesses, a very beautiful and equally intelligent woman asked me a very direct question that has literally changed the way I do business. After yet another of my updates on projects in the making and the money estimates that would come from the new venture she simply asked, “when will enough be enough?”
I thought about it, internalized it and acted on it. I have cut out a lot of what I call LifeClutter sm, which will be the topic of an upcoming article. She promptly went out and bought a very tasteful sign for our kitchen, placed strategically near my most used appliance, the coffee pot, that reads…”the best things in life…aren’t things.” Hmmm…she says she just likes the sign…
The really great news was that as all of my fellow meeting members got up and presented their boards to the group complete with the thoughts behind them, each one became more aware than the last about how their board looked.
In speaking with many of the group later in the day, as they were processing what they had done and they got to the core…what they really envisioned was more time to enjoy whatever ‘things’ they had, with their families. There were lots of smiles in and around the room and everyone I spoke with was very glad that they had completed the exercise so that they too could be reminded of their ‘Why’.
My challenge to you, regardless of your stage of entrepreneurial life…is to define your ‘why’ and to set up checkpoints along the way to insure that you don’t forget what’s truly important.
Let me know your thoughts…I’d love to hear them.
