the best worst year

2020 was both the best and worst year thus far.

The inability to achieve mundane and ambitious goals makes 2020 one of the worst years ever. Stuck indoors. Unable to meet family, friends, and clients. Many of us were overcome by a feeling of helplessness, witnessing infection rates rising. People were suffering from illnesses. Many lives were lost. Tragic really.

On the other hand, the best year ever because 2020 made us appreciate what we have even more. After all, gratitude is one of the best attitudes.

Running a business is, more often than not, a rollercoaster with a rapid succession of ups and downs. That was terrifying! Let’s do it again. Success stories of businesses with track records consisting out of nothing but smooth sailing are scarce. When push comes to shove, and those types of companies encounter a setback, it’ll be much harder for them to redeem themselves. They have no memory or experience to draw from in those demanding situations.

Franklin D. Roosevelt had it right when he said: “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” Weather the storm, relentlessly. Acknowledge the learnings and ride the waves.

we accept emotion here

The only available currency at the very beginning of starting a new business is “emotion.” What’s bad about it, buying a loaf of bread with it probably won’t work. The good thing is that the value is relative and virtually infinite.

Looking for potential co-founders, initially, there will be very little to offer them. Shared ideas and vision can serve as a starting point towards motivating one another. The potential of the yet to be invented products and services could account for something down the road. However, nothing tangible. Time to fire up the “emotion” money printing machine.

Similar to actual money, “emotion” coins have a heads – and tails side as well. One side is the good side, a plethora of pleasant, stimulating, and honest emotions. The flipside is the exact opposite, bad vibes, betrayal, ungratefulness.

As a (co-)founder, you print the actual “emotion” money. You determine the inflation and deflation. More importantly, you choose the type of emotions, good or bad. Do right by people, value and appreciate them, and success may eventually manifest itself. If you don’t, you’re setting yourself up for a letdown.

zig-zag

En route to a specific goal, one (hopefully) encounters several challenges. If not, something probably went wrong with defining the goal initially. Michelangelo allegedly said: “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”

While aiming high, reaching a goal can be excruciatingly demanding, like sailing directly upwind into a twelve Beaufort storm. Enduring so much friction in the process, barely advancing or making any progress at all.

Sailing straight into the wind is impossible. To reach a destination that lies directly upwind, vessels have to zig-zag in order to get there. This method is called beating.

Roadblocks pop up, and setbacks happen. Walk a tightrope, jump through a burning hoop, make loopings if you must. Be creative in chasing a goal, and never lose track of the destination. Reaching goals is rarely straightforward and requires lots of zig-zagging either way. Don’t give up when inevitable detours manifest themselves.

reread your reviews

Negativity is (still) on the rise in the media. Often expressed in terms of casualties, events have to be increasingly dramatic to make the cut and pass the obscure negativity threshold. Truly tragic.

In our day-to-day (personal or professional) relationships, there is an ill-fated tendency to focus on negativity as well. One “compliment day” per year spawns cheap, obligatory compliments but is by no means sufficient. “Nice sweater!” “Thanks, I guess?” Not a plea for incessantly bestowing one another with compliments. However, remembering and revisiting the genuine compliments you received is immensely valuable.

Make a note with a bulleted list, call it: “I’m great.” Every time you receive a compliment, write it down in that particular note. When you feel down or stuck in a rut, have a glance at your list. Even better, throughout your morning, make a habit of thinking about that list.

In need of a kickstart? Friendly people that have used Airbnb, or any other service that requires two-way reviews for that matter, can copy-paste the reviews they received. They’re usually quite nice.

Receiving five stars reviews should account for something. Especially coming from someone you don’t really know, in some cases haven’t even met. Be the person that gives proverbial five stars reviews to the people around you, so they can score some “I’m great” entries.

pay toll on the road to success

nearly a decade ago, i was driving through the alps on my way back home. in Austria, i was presented with a choice. Either take an expensive toll road or take a detour. Even though I wasn’t in a hurry, and I didn’t mind putting in the extra kilometers, I ended up choosing the toll road. The “scenic road” label sparked my interest. The other option never stood much of a chance.

In life, on the road to success, we must pay a toll. Lots of it. No (financial) pain, no gain. A toll-free alternative will get you there eventually, but it’s a lot less glorious and much more time-consuming.

The Austrian road was absolutely delightful — rolling hills announcing mountains behind them, sweeping curves, and fresh asphalt. Comparing with other toll road experiences, this one, in particular, was well worth it. the views were astounding. five stars. Would recommend. Would go down again.

Why reject a toll road to success? When the free alternative provides better learning opportunities or greater satisfaction, denouncing the toll road becomes an option. If the toll road isn’t feasible, budget-wise, the thought of it is nevertheless still appealing.

On the road to success, you must pay. Dues or toll, the choice is yours.