I’ve always been motivated and driven.

Turning 40 last month I contemplated on how at times my healthy drive turned into a kind of disease – dis-ease – or feeling not feeling at ease.

A healthy drive is amazing and you need it to be successful in business. BUT always wanting to achieve more, can cause restlessness and pain in the present moment.

Let me explain: 

Many driven people are not feeling at ease because they are always chasing.

The problem is that this constant need to achieve keeps you in a state of dissatisfaction more often than it should (well it does for me) …

You start measuring life by what you achieve! NOT by what you already have in front of you. 

I read the other day that happiness comes from loving what you have, and not wanting what you don’t have. In some ways entrepreneurship can set us up to do the opposite of this. 

You are so focussed on building a bright future that you overlook what is there to appreciate in the here and now.

And let’s be real, the satisfaction you get out of achieving great things and buying nice things is short term. The happiness lasts for a short while, but then the race of wanting more and being more starts all over again. This is a pattern that is conditioned in so many of us in the western world.

The longer I am in business, the more I am convinced that it doesn’t have to be this way.

Business is a game and when you play a game you should have fun – otherwise why playing the game after all?

When I really think about why I am so driven and what the underlying motivation for my drive is, I realise that it’s a ‘feeling’ I am after, not a physical thing (like money, a big house or expensive car).

I realised that the feeling I have been chasing all way long is PEACE OF MIND.

And deep down – if you really look at WHY YOU are so driven – you will admit that it is for peace of mind, too (if it’s something else – shoot me an email or leave a comment and let me know).

The crazy thing is that you don’t need to achieve anything to ‘deserve’ this feeling. I believe feeling peace of mind it is the birth right of every human being.

And I am sorry if I disappoint you, but it’s a mirage that you will feel peace after you achieved all your goals (financial freedom, the big house, the big boat… or whatever it is that you are chasing).

I am starting to realise more and more that life (and running your business) is about enjoying the present moment (rather than chasing a future mirage):

… Slowing down … 

… Stop trying to achieve goals as quickly as possible and sacrificing everything for that … 

… Instead, letting go and realising that you don’t really have control of the future anyway … 

… Having fun and enjoy playing the game of business …

I am certain that my meditation practice has a lot to do with all of these insights. It truly changed a lot for me and made me a happier and more content person. And if you’d ask my wife she’d say I am more present and easier to be around even during periods of high pressure and stress in business.

So, is meditation the cure for the Entrepreneur’s disease?

I don’t know the answer to that question but I know it certainly helps me to play the edge of enjoying the journey of business and not getting too caught up in achievement.

Have a great day,

Andrew

P.S. If you are driven and you are struggling financially… I get the need to push hard and work hard….but trust me on this….

FIND YOUR PEACE AND THEN EVERYHTING WILL FALL INTO PLACE.

It’s a mirage that you will feel peace after you achieved all your goals and reach financial security.