Good Life, Good Business Part 2

At the core of any life or enterprise is decision-making. We are our decisions. Anyone who finds themselves in the clutches of a disastrous life got there through bad decisions made by either themselves, their kin, or complete strangers. The “system,” as we know it, is a result of the many decisions made by those around us and those who have come before us. A piece of equipment is only as effective or as beneficial as the operator. Decisions are the difference! Life and business are driven by decisions. The monetary system is merely a framework to facilitate trade, but people are the ones who have to initiate the trade or program the algorithms that do. The secret to having a decent life is centered on knowing that decisions matter more than any system or framework. One should focus on making better decisions every day, and surrounding themselves with those who make good decisions, too. You should not let the need to belong and the culture around you determine your decisions; be the captain of your own ship. 

Embrace reality as it is, and not as you would like it to be. Having a pragmatic approach to reality enables us to make progress even if tragedy strikes. You cannot program everything that happens in your life, but you can take charge of your response to it. The main thing that makes us different from the beasts of the field, no matter how much we can love or value them, is the view of reality. We are able to respond and not just react. We can use our God-given gift of prefrontal-cortex-thinking to chart out a path to our goals. We can use our imaginations to write business plans, evaluate data, and make decisions. The best temperament to embrace is one that has a harmonious relationship with reality. The forces of nature should be allies and not adversaries. There is no limit to what we can accomplish if we accept tragedy,  rather than reject it, or even worse, expect it. We can feel the pain, acknowledge it, then through strategy, recalibrate to accomplish our dreams. 

For a better life and better business, we need to lean on others to achieve our goals. We need to play to our strengths and allow others to play to theirs. The founder and CEO cannot do everything. One of the main things that entrepreneurs need to be good at is recruiting co-conspirators. We need to surround ourselves with people that contribute to the team and tell the truth while doing that. They need to want the same things, but not necessarily do things the same way. A diverse team, one whose members come from different backgrounds (this can be people of the same ethnicity, gender, or country of origin), out-performs teams of homogenous thought. The diversity that matters is the diversity of outlook and that can be amplified by differing upbringing or experiences. 

Lead by example: demonstrate, experiment, make decisions without partiality. One of the main ways to lead well is to be yourself. Leaders that focus on being the best person they can be, tend to inspire others to do the same. They are themselves and work with people who are themselves. They do not expect special treatment; they take  responsibility for their actions at all times. They spend more time trying things out to see the outcome, instead of arguing for or against an idea till the cows come home. The best leaders are the ones that create environments where their teams can experiment without sinking the ship. 

People, who understand that fairness and proof drive persuasion, will focus on experimentation and not punishment. Your people need to be able to try and fail, as long as they are encouraged to learn from their mistakes. We can do better as people when we focus on preventing the repetition of mistakes. We lose when we focus on the eradication of mistakes. There are many things that are beyond our control, no matter our experience,thingswill still surprise us. We just have to take responsibility for what is within our control and do the best with what blindsides us. 

We need to be eternal students. We cannot stop learning and we have to be willing to learn from anyone. Seeking the truth is always the safest bet. We cannot find the truth when we search for belonging or look to choose sides. While uncomfortable at first, the truth gives great dividends in the long term. We have to be willing to learn about people, and what matters to them, because most of what an enterprise does is satisfy the needs and wants of the customer. So we have to be willing to evolve with the customer. This means that we have to keep reading books, attending seminars, watching videos, listening to podcasts, etc. Only those who learn can teach!

We also need to take care of ourselves in order to take care of others. How can a dry well give water? We have to store up for ourselves treasures in the realm of the unseen so that we can reap rewards in the seen. Emotional well-being, almost always, translates to financial well-being. Rest is one of the most underutilized tools of any business or social life. When we tackle problems from a rested place, we can solve problems efficiently and with renewed creativity. Plus, rest helps us have the temperaments necessary to be analytical. 

Finally, when we understand incentives, we can understand relationships. We need to understand what motivates people and one of the best ways to understand others is by understanding ourselves. The whole concept of loving your neighbor as yourself is lost on most people. People think that you need to love others before loving yourself. This is false and I am still to find a self loathing individual who can love others well. Most people that love well, love themselves first. Why am I speaking of love when speaking of incentives? This is because incentives are emotional. They cannot be quantified, but they can be understood. When we understand then we can love. When we love then we can serve. Everything we do in life can be reduced to contributing to others and contributing to ourselves. We have to understand desire and once we understand desire, we can understand incentives. What reason would you do the following for? When we can wrap our minds around that concept, then we can be successful in life, which will result in success in business.