Entrepreneurs and Cave Dwellers
We have a friend who finally got fed up. Like most entrepreneurs, he’s endured some super tough times the last three years. But he survived. And he’s done a lot for his community. By that, we mean he’s created jobs. He’s expanded the tax base – both sales taxes and property taxes.
Listen to this post! Click a player to hear George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast. (Duration 5:20)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More
iPhone/iPad/Mobile Podcast Player
[haiku url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00813-060812.mp3″ title=”The BIGG Success Show #813″]
He told us about an incident recently which pushed him over the edge. He was serving as a volunteer on a community committee. He shared some forward-thinking ideas. He got an intense amount of pushback.
All he wanted was to be heard. And he would like to feel appreciated. Not all the time. Just once in a while. But he often doesn’t. Do you ever feel unappreciated? If you do, you’re not alone!
Your two choices
You have two choices when you start feeling this way. They are the same two options that mankind has faced since we first inhabited this planet. You can fight or you can flee. As entrepreneurs, we fight every day. We fight to meet payroll. We fight to get another customer. We fight and fight and fight. Do you ever get tired of fighting? We all do. So we flee.
That’s what our friend did. He’s an incredibly social, outgoing person. But after the incident we related earlier, he became a cave dweller. And he seems perfectly content to stay there. He’s still running his business day-to-day. But other than that, he’s really withdrawn. He has pulled back from his involvement in his community. He has stopped doing a lot of things which put him in the public eye. And that may be just the prescription to cure his ails.
3 things to know about cave dwelling
So let’s be clear – we’re not talking about quitting. We’re not talking about running away from your obligations. But as entrepreneurs, we all occasionally face situations which make us want to flee. We should note that it’s probably not just one situation. It’s an accumulation of things. But one particular thing on one particular day finally pushes you too far and you just have to get away.
So here are three things we’d like to share about entrepreneurs and cave dwelling.
- 1st) It’s healthy to retreat to your cave now and then.
It’s not only necessary, it’s desirable.
Solitude is sweet, especially as you spend more and more time in the public’s eye, as you gain fans and followers.
You may spend time in your cave with family and friends. But make sure you also allow time for just you.
Proactively set aside time to explore the caverns of your mind, heart, and soul.
-
2nd) Too much cave dwelling is bad.
Our Paleolithic ancestors got out of the cave. They hunted. They gathered.
You’ll starve if you never get out of your cave. Not literally, of course.
But you’ll starve your mind, your heart, and your soul.
We need more than just our businesses. We need human interaction.
So it’s okay to react to a situation and retreat to your cave to let the wounds heal.
But set a time limit. Don’t let cave dwelling become a way of life.
-
3rd) Hang out in the caves of other entrepreneurs.
The only people who can truly understand what entrepreneurs endure are other entrepreneurs. We need to support each other. Entrepreneuring is an emotional experience. It can bring down the strongest man or woman. It can make you feel like fleeing. We need to hang out together. We need to support each other. That’s one of the reasons we started BIGG success. It’s why we don’t just share practical tips in our posts.
Entrepreneurs ride an emotional roller coaster. Sometimes you have to flee back to your cave. But make sure you don’t hole up for too long. Reach out to your fellow entrepreneurs. Reach out to us. It will help you reach BIGG success. What gets you out of your cave?
Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00813-060812.mp3
Image in this post from stock.xchng
