Professional development requires time and patience. While it can be tough to be present mentally, I have learned that focusing on what’s right in front of you not only yields more long-term success, but supports overall well-being.
Being present enables you to truly enjoy the process of learning even while driving positive long-term outcomes. It can also support the development of genuine, lasting relationships. When your mind is present, you can focus on more meaningful, attentive, interactions. This not only benefits your career but it contributes to a meaningful life experience.
In the book, “Happier”, author Tal Ben-Shahar discusses the pursuit of happiness - and it relates to career fulfillment. He develops four personas that reflect the different ways people attempt to find happiness:
“Rat racer” - you want to finish your work as fast as possible, without any enjoyment just to get it done, thinking the big payoff will be in the future. Happiness is at the future destination.
“Hedonist” - life is short and the goal is to always act on endeavors that offer immediate satisfaction so you are in a constant state of pleasure. No long-term efforts involved.
“Nihilists” - loss of zest for life. No happiness presently or in the future.
“Happy People” - engage in activities, meaningful relationships and work that brings present enjoyment while leading to a fulfilling future.
The life lessons from this book are profound, and can apply to career satisfaction. Earning money is a necessity for most people. But just because it’s a necessity doesn’t mean it can’t be joyous.
In a recent “Mentor Momentum”, powered by Next Gen interview, I spoke about the concept of being present as a way to impart learnings on the next generation of entrepreneurs. As an entrepreneur, I understand the sense of urgency to realize your vision especially in a competitive market.
However, to sustain a positive experience and long term success, it will be critical for this next wave of unicorn companies to be thoughtful just as much as swift. Being present can allow entrepreneurs to stay mindful of fundamentals of a sound business even while scaling and building quickly. This involves ensuring the company has a strong leadership team with a quality reputation in place. Often, the C-suite and leadership team can be extremely effective voices to humanize a company and articulate the vision.
Investors - and consumers - today are looking for more than just a great product. They want to work with and buy from a company who cares about them, their employees, and the world around them. The vision for the future needs to be exciting, but also grounded in the realities of today. Too future focused, and a company may slip on profitability or underinvest in sound leadership - and this can have lasting negative effects.
Defining the vision, and grounding it with a plan, is a critical first step. With a clear vision, a company has an opportunity to tell their story - where they are today AND where they are going. There is unlimited potential to articulate and amplify stories of leadership, mission, and vision across the media ecosystem. This can involve earned media coverage but it is not limited to that - a story can live on the website, a blog, an email marketing campaign, social media, podcast, videos.
In being present, entrepreneurs can better reflect on what they want to do, and how they will get there - and then share it with the world. A “happy people” mindset, combined with solid fundamentals and a tangible business plan will make all of the difference in the successes - and most meaningfully, the experiences - of the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Written by Rachel Gerber Kule