How to stay sane as an entrepreneur

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Entrepreneurs set out to conquer the world with their business idea. Their mission is to make it big. As an entrepreneur, you learn and grow every day. You are constantly moving outside your comfort zone, trying to overcome your fears and self-doubt. The more momentum your business picks up, the faster you run because you have this one chance to prove it to the world. You are all in! 

However, you are overlooking one important thing: You think you signed up for a sprint, when in fact you’ve signed up for a marathon, and that can become dangerous. 

Why entrepreneurship is not a sprint but a marathon

When you are sprinting, you might think: “I don’t care how much energy I spend, I need to finish as fast as possible”. Whereas the mindset of a marathon runner is “I need to manage my energy levels well to make it to the finish line”. It is a totally different game with different rules, which requires a different mindset. And for entrepreneurs there isn’t necessarily a finish line.

Running a marathon is about finding your ideal pace instead of pushing too hard and burning out. You need energy reserves when you have to overcome a hill, or you have to give full power in between because unexpected opportunities arise.

It is like swimming in the sea. You swim when a wave carries you and not when the current works against you. In these moments you rest and gather new energy.

3 tips to manage your energy levels as entrepreneurs

Here are some tips on how to manage your energy levels well in the long run:

  1. Practice self-awareness: To spend your energy well, you need to know how much energy you have in the tank. You need to become more mindful of how you currently spend your energy so that you can adjust.

A short practice for self-awareness: Answer the following questions for yourself every day – either in thought or in writing:

On a scale of 1 (=low) to 10 (=high):

– How much energy do I currently have?

– How satisfied am I with what I have invested energy in?

– What is 1 specific action I can take tomorrow to gain energy and spend it well?

The answer to this question can look very different, e.g., cancelling a meeting, making a phone call, putting blockers in your calendar for undisturbed work, taking a walk in the fresh air, taking more breaks, or meditating.

  1. Become the master of Mindful-Mini-Breaks: Cultivate a habit of taking these 3 to 10 minute breaks again and again throughout the day to quickly recharge. This will activate your parasympathetic nervous system which triggers a relaxation response. Remember: When tension is high, and your body and mind are in a survival mode it is hard to be creative and innovative. That makes it challenging to solve complex problems because your focus is very limited. You are like in a tunnel, and you hardly perceive opportunities that are to your right and left.

Exercise: Start with these quick and simple things:

  1. Close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths. Notice the movement of your body with your breath. Become aware how you feel differently afterwards.
  2. Do a mindful check-in with your team at the beginning of a meeting. Use questions such as: How are you feeling today? What is your weather situation (according to your mood)? What are you grateful for today?
  3. Start your meeting with a Mindful Minute. This is a minute of silence to gather your focus. It provides a bridge between previous tasks and the meeting now.

3. Practice mental hygiene: We think about 70,000 thoughts per day. 70% of them are repetitive thoughts, 27% are fearful and negative thoughts, and only 3% are new thoughts. Negative thoughts weigh more heavily than positive ones. 

Exercise: You can do this in thought, in conversation, and in writing:

  • Consciously create positive moments of appreciation for yourself and others.
  • Practice shifting your focus from fears and negative thoughts to opportunities, successes, and moments of gratitude. Ask yourself: What can I do now?
  • Forgive yourself and others when things have not gone as ideally as you imagined. 
  • Try to practice acceptance instead of judgement. Let go of mistakes and focus on the great things that lie ahead of you.

Applying those tools and principles takes time and repetition. With repetition, they can become helpful guides that you always carry with you on your adventurous and exciting journey as an entrepreneur. 

Put the journey before the destination

Especially in difficult times, those practices can energise you. They will remind you that it is about enjoying the journey as much as possible. They will help you to understand that we as human beings are not our fears and doubts, but brave people who give their best every day. It is not our fears that define us, but our actions and successes.

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