It’s not easy to sit down and write a column about entrepreneurship the night of an unspeakable national tragedy in Las Vegas. What could I possibly say that would be relevant or useful tonight?
All I can suggest and hope is that some entrepreneurs might be able to take the shock of the Las Vegas massacre and try to use the event to bring some positive changes to your life.
Entrepreneurship is an all-engrossing lifestyle. Despite all the books and philosophies that teach us work/life balance – the reality is that there is not much of it. We push forward at an incredible and intense pace, and the focus and discipline that is required to reach our goals can often bring us tumbling down.
Sometimes our systems need a shock, to make positive changes.
I wrote about this in 2013, when I found myself in the Emergency Room one day. I talked about some steps I took back them, to try to bring some balance to my life.
And sometimes despite all of our efforts, we can find ourselves out of rhythm again. Just two weeks ago when I sat down in synagogue to celebrate the Jewish New Year, I was shocked and saddened at myself to realize that I had not been there for one whole year. I was too busy traveling, building, and running the marathon of building my company. And as I sat and absorbed the “shock” of the moment I decided to make some changes the following week.
The truth of the matter is that there are things we can all do to “de-stress” our lives. Think carefully about what you spend most of your time on, and how you can either delegate it or make it more efficient. Invariably, there is almost a way to make changes; you just have to be willing to “shock yourself” out of your routine.
My trip to the Emergency Room a few years ago and my experience in synagogue this Jewish New Year were my shocks. That being said, events like Las Vegas this morning can have a similar impact if you think about it and want to make changes.
So how will you use this shock to improve your life?