In a recent webinar we had a great hour discussing “How To Avoid The Dark Side Of Success” with Dan Kirby, exited Tech founder and the founder of Founders Are Mental (FAM), a coaching community for entrepreneurs. The course helps entrepreneurs define and follow through on the good habits they know they need to do in just a few hours a month.
Here are the top 5 tips:
1) Reality bites
There is a big difference between the entrepreneurial life you are sold (ie independence and freedom) and the life you end up having (never switching off, tied to the business.
2) The Two Immutable Founder-Truths
We ALL are looking up towards the top of a mountain. And we ALL have a groove – our patterns and habits – whether we are aware of them or not. The Groove you are in will dictate whether you get up the mountain (or fall off it.)
3) The Awareness Muscle
You are made of 3 parts: Your Body (your emotions), Your Mind (your thoughts), Your Awareness (all of your emotions and your thoughts). But your Awareness is often weak (you eat the doughnut, then later regret it). But you can strengthen your Awareness like you would your Body or Mind – your “Awareness Muscle”.
4) Your Hamster Wheel
Unexpected events, unkind comments, bad news – can create a reaction. There is a stimulus. Then a response. Reactivity creates more reactivity. You get stressed, shout, then have to make up for the shouting – and still deal with the problem. This is The Hamster Wheel of Reactivity – working on your Awareness will stop it. Don’t react, act.
5) You have the power
“𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯”. ~Viktor Frankl, Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, devoted his life to exploring the meaning of life and its links to happiness.
The question is: How? The solution lies in developing a heightened sense of awareness and strengthening our “Awareness Muscle”.
Entrepreneurs can join fellow Mental Founders and learn a new way to be a successful founder – a Good Mental Founder.
