Are you a Queen fan?
It was in October 1981, just under 40 years ago, that they released Under Pressure (with David Bowie playing a significant role on vocals).
Yep – 40 years – sorry if that’s a bit of a shock!
The lyrics included:
It’s the terror of knowing what this world is about
Watching some good friends screaming let me out
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people, people on streets
Pressure still lives. And many business-owners feel it.
The sources of pressure are numerous. But they’re not all external. One of the sources of pressure is the type business-owners put on themselves.
To reach something. To attain something. To achieve something.
It’s understandable. And useful. But there’s a downside to it – this constant striving – this hustle – this grind – can be framed in terms like:
“I’ll spend more time with the kids when I [fill the gap]”.
“I’ll pay more attention to my health when [fill the gap].”
“I’ll look for something more deeply satisfying when [fill the gap].”
And these “whens” are often far off into an undefined future.
I used to have a fridge magnet saying: “Happiness is found along the way, not at the end of the road.” The magnet mysteriously disappeared one day – but that’s ok – and maybe someone else is benefitting from it”.
Try substituting “success” for “happiness” in that quote. And you get:
Success is found along the way, not at the end of the road.
In your business, what would make today successful for you? You could undoubtedly work till midnight. Would that be success? Would that leave your relationships undamaged? Your health nurtured? Your interests explored?
If you’d like to accomplish more in a balanced way and with less stress, email me – brendan@brendan-cullen.com.