“Why can’t you just be happy?” my wife asked me recently.
I paused and thought about it for a moment. “But I am happy. I am very blessed.” Then I preceded to give her a run down of all things I am grateful for including my marriage, kids, my business, health, friends etc.
I continued. “Baby (that’s my pet name for her), I think you are confusing happiness with contentment.”
“I am happy but I am never content. I don’t think I will ever be content. It is simply not my nature.” At that point I gave her a brief lesson on the nature of entrepreneurs.
Understand that true entrepreneurs are never content.
Stop fighting your nature. I have found over they years that virtually every entrepreneur struggles with being content or satisfied. They struggle because they believe that someday they will arrive and finally be content.
Sorry! It ain’t going to happen. Entrepreneurs are problem solvers. Their radar is constantly up and observing things that aren’t working or could be improved. We seek out opportunities to make things better and then hopefully take action to make things better.
We are always looking at things to improve. To the outside world this appears to be someone who is not happy with the way things are.
This nature extends beyond business. It shows up in our marriages, our health, our expectations of our children and so on.
Being an entrepreneur is a gift. We see things that most people don’t. We drive progress. We innovate. We improve.
The moment we stop being content, we cease to operate within our gifting. We stop being an entrepreneur.
Being an entrepreneur REQUIRES that we are discontent. The struggle for many of us to to equate contentment with happiness.
You can be discontent and still be happy. In fact, when you accept that fact that your nature is to be discontent, that in itself should leave your feeling happy.
Why? Because you are operating from a place where you living your true self. Stop fighting it.
Now, there are instances where our nature can become an extreme. We can simply take it to far, especially in the eyes of the others. Like nothing is every good enough. Nothing. This is an unhealthy and unproductive place to be.
Here are some tips that will help you remain more grounded, feel more satisfied and connect with being happy as an entrepreneur.
1- Take time to celebrate your successes. Specifically, schedule time each month to reflect on the improvements and advances that you have made in your business and life. Celebrate privately and with others.
2- Be grateful. Remember to appreciate the things that you do have. Again, make it part of your daily practice. Whether it be a morning or evening prayer or periodic moments of reflection where you stop and observe the good things in your life and business.
3- Smile and have fun. Don’t be so stinking serious and focused ALL the time. Have some fun. Take a break. Enjoy your life and YOUR work. You are most likely doing something that really is special and that you really like doing.
Now go be happy, be discontent and go make something better too!