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1/ I’ve talked before about my struggle with jealousy – in particular for other entrepreneurs and other technology companies. If the other company is completely failing but they just hired a great engineer or data scientist, I still find myself feeling jealous.
2/ Jealousy is genuinely a new feeling for me since starting CircleUp. If someone was better in school, got a better job, etc- I very rarely felt actual jealousy. Now I feel it a lot.
3/ About a year ago another CEO talked w/ me about that challenge in a productive way. Basically laid out that if you don’t enjoy the journey, all that matters is the destination- which leads to jealousy. Focuses everything on the scoreboard.
4/ Since then I’ve tried to make changes to enjoy the journey more. Some are activities that I was already doing but connecting them consciously to my goal of enjoying the journey has been productive. Other activities are new.
5/ I’ve tried far more than I can list here in a TweetHurricane (trademarked phrase), but here are some of the ones that have helped me the most.
6/ TM- tm.org - I try to do it 2x/day for 20 minutes. It has been so helpful for me to slow and focus my mind. It’s almost my equivalent of taking time to smell the roses. I don’t know, or care, if that sounds stupid but it has helped me.
7/ Exercising regularly- I actually block off my calendar 4x a week to exercise. So does my wife. This one honestly isn’t that hard for me because I love it so much.
8/ Peer CEO/Founder groups- I have found that if I can spend time with other CEOs that are willing to be vulnerable, it is a giant shot in the arm for me. It is amazing. BUT finding them is so incredibly hard. I’ve been fortunate to have been a part of a group for the past yr.
9/ Mgmt coach – I got 1x per month. I love mine @edbatista. Candidly each time I go I feel unsure of whether I should in the hr leading up and then walking out I feel SO SO SO happy I went. Having an experienced professional as a partner has helped my mental health tremendously.
10/ Leaving my phone at home when I’m out with my family or on a date night. It is a little hack that has helped me to be much more present with my family.
11/ Deleting Twitter and Facebook from my phone.
12/ Not consuming social media. This one usually disappoints people but I don’t use Twitter to consume much. The idea came from a study I read that talked about not just how social media was destructive, specifically it was consuming information on social media.
13/ Coffees, lunches with friends. Not talking about work- talking about anything but work. This is odd because I also find talking about work with CEOs or my mgmt. coach to be really valuable, but consciously not talking about work and just being with friends has helped me too
14/ Creating memories. As a founder I have sometimes felt frustrated that I was in Groundhog Day. Months would go by and while I was proud of what we were building, my personal life had few memories. I’ve pivoted personally to try and really focus on creating memories.
15/ Probably most importantly- I also try to not beat myself up when I miss the things above and instead remember that I don’t want perfect to be the enemy of good.
16/ I don’t know if my activities are the best ones, but I do think that my conscious efforts have helped me in my journey. I’ve also found it helpful to bounce these ideas off of other founders/CEOs and hear what has helped them.
17/ Just reread this and realized what an ugly word “jealousy” is. I feel a lot of shame even talking about it. But that’s also helpful for me to name. Another thing Ed taught me- naming shame helps unlock some wonderful things.
