The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.
Lao Tzu
Monday, August 11, 2008
Zen | 8 | Quiet
Zen | 7 | Idea
An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.
Buddha
The Cookie-Cutter Idea is based on a simple principal - "If it works here, it will work anywhere". When you look at companies like Starbucks, Walmart and Subway - these are Type 2 companies. They start as one store, and refine their business - and then with capital start to duplicate the store across the globe.
This is not too different than Type 3, but the origin of a Type 4 idea is much different. The Type 4 idea is the idea that you always say "Man, why didn't I think of that?". It is the obvious solution to a small problem. It is the classic "back scratcher" concept, that typically solves a common problem we all experience.
Zen | 6 | Patience
A jug fills drop by drop.
Buddha
Every entrepreneur has a dream. And typically it is a big dream. Most entrepreneurs expect their dreams to become a reality in a short period of time because they work longer hours (with the idea that they will reach their destination is a shorter period of time). In fact, one could argue that many are deceived into becoming entrepreneurs because they believe this is how people "get rich quick" or "change the world overnight", but in reality being an entrepreneur is the exact opposite.
Before we discuss the importance of patience to a Zentrepreneur, lets dismiss some of the great myths of entrepreneurship.
Myth 1: Entrepreneurs must work 80+ hours a week to make a venture successful
I am not sure who started this trend, but for some reason it took off. Perhaps it was a distortion of the famous declaration - "Hard work always pays off". Either way, it is definitely one of the most damaging myths of entrepreneurship.
It seems logical - If I work twice as many hours, then I get twice as much stuff done. The fact is that working more hours does not lead to success, and more times than not, it can lead to failure. Be aware of what is important to the success of your venture and focus on the priorities of today. The daily routine should not take 12 hours a day (and if it does, you need to change your daily routine).
Myth 2: Business moves at the Speed of Light
Certainly, it seems like in this Information Age everything changes overnight. Industries like technology and entertainment seem to be evolving at expodential rates. But does this really effect how you should work?
Even though technology advances daily, it usually isn't adopted for years. It may seem like there is intense urgency for you to work harder and faster to keep up with competition, but in reality the pace is set by the market. In most markets, the customers are not moving at the speed of light, in fact many companies fail because they over-innovate and build products that are too far beyond the market adoption.
Myth 3: If we are not first to market, we will lose
One of the primary reasons I think entrepreneurs work day and night on their new ideas, is the goal of being "first to market". The ability to be first, gives them an advantage in building a brand and having no competition.
I admit that being first to market has advantages, but only when the company has the ability to effectively market their product on a large scale (which means they need to invest millions into marketing). Most entrepreneurs boot-strapping their new company don't have much money to run a national marketing campaign, so in reality being first to market doesn't really matter.
More importantly, if you look at any industry - competition is good, it helps advance markets and increase adoption of new products. So although one company may be first, does not mean they will dominate the market. A classic example of this is Google. Google entered the market last, but had a better product and better execution.
Now that we have dismissed some of the biggest myths that make entrepreneurs impatient, lets examine other reasons why patience is important.
Patience is not just about waiting - it is actively practicing Zentrepreneurship. When you are paitent, you are living in the now. By removing the anxiety and pressure of looking ahead to the future, and accepting all things are in flux is by definition being patient.
By focusing on your daily routine and executing those tasks you control - you are practicing patience. You are ignoring all those external factors that you have no control over, and thus are patient in waiting for those events to occur as they may.
"A jug fills drop by drop" says it perfectly. It is a great metaphor for multiple aspects to Zentrepreneurship.
A practical man may say "we can fill up the jug faster if we pour water using a hose". But we know, that what is important is focusing on each drop (as a step) toward our goal. The drop can represent our daily routine and the focus on NOW.
A practical man may say "if its a small jug, we can fill it up faster". Again, this interpretation goes against the practice of Zentrepreneurship. It abandons the concept of having Capacity for Experience. By shrinking the jug, you shrink your capacity for experience and therefore gain no knowledge.
By exercising Patience, you can focus on those tasks you can control. Ignore the perceived urgency and pressure that creates impatience.
Some people say success is being in the right place at the right time. I interpret this saying different from most people. If you are patient, then you can wait in the "right place" until the right time happens. It is not a cosmic crossroads where time and place suddenly connect, but in fact it is simply the exercise of patience.
If you are patient, and diligent in your daily routine - good things will happen.
Summary
A Zentrepreneur must be patient. While focusing on the NOW, a Zentrepreneur cannot afford the anxieties that lead to impatience. Patience allows you accept that all things are in Flux, and you need only to focus on your Daily Routine.
Zen | 5 | Doubt
There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.
Buddha
Zen | 4 | Experience
We do not learn by experience, but by our capacity for experience
Buddha
ca·pac·ity (kə pas′i tē)
- the ability to contain, absorb, or receive and hold
- the amount of space that can be filled; room for holding;
- the point at which no more can be contained filled to capacity
- the power of receiving and holding knowledge, impressions, etc.; mental ability
When we refer to the capacity for experience, we are going beyond simply the "experience" as an event in time - and focusing on the ability to contain the experience. And even beyond the ability to contain, is the mental ability to accept new experiences. So we are really talking about two aspects of learning - containing experiences and accepting experiences. Only through capacity do we truly learn.
So now that we have clearly defined 'capacity' - how does this relate to being a Zentrepreneur?
The Zentrepreneur must have capacity for experience.
To simply go through the motions of a day, without having capacity for experience will allow you to learn nothing. Although you may have many experiences in a day, you will not learn anything. In order to truly grow as a Zentrepreneur you need to learn each and every day.
Just as we discussed in previous chapters about the importance of being in the NOW, and focusing your energy on your daily routine - the ability to have capacity for experience allows you to grow as a Zentrepreneur. As you learn, you expand your ability to take control over your daily tasks, and thus expand your daily routine.
If you recall from last chapter - we said "A Zentrepreneur focuses their energy on events they control, and accepts that all other events (past and future) are meaningless."
By learning, you are able to control more events and thus expand you capacity for experience. It essentially becomes the fuel for your growth. It becomes a cycle.
The first step in embracing capacity for experience is having an open mind. Try to remove all pre-conditions or pre-notions. Be willing to experience outside what you already know. To truly learn you must embrace the unknown. The greater your capacity, the more you will learn.
Think of it like a glass. If the glass is full of water (low capacity), it will never be able to hold more water, thus never learning anything new. A Zentrepreneur focuses on growing the glass so that is has infinite capacity. Most people accept the glass as a constant, and once it is full, they settle with what they know, and do not bother with the unknown.
To accept the possibility of infinite capacity is not easy. This is why most people are not entrepreneurs and accept that their glass is full, and they become inflexible and "stuck" in their daily lives.
Once you achieve infinite capacity, you will have a sense of confidence and freedom that empowers your abilty to innovate, execute and truly build something great.Balance this ability to learn, with your focus on the Present... and your daily routine will be highly focused and constantly growing and in flux.
Zen | 3 | Flux
"Impermanence is, of course, the essential fact which must be
first experienced and understood by practice."
Sayagyi U Ba Khin
Nothing remains the same for two consecutive moments. Heraclitus said we can never bathe twice in the same river. Confucius, while looking at a stream, said, "It is always flowing, day and night." The Buddha implored us not just to talk about impermanence, but to use it as an instrument to help us penetrate deeply into reality and obtain liberating insight. We may be tempted to say that because things are impermanent, there is suffering. But the Buddha encouraged us to look again. Without impermanence, life is not possible.
If you suffer, it is not because things are impermanent. It is because you believe things are permanent. This concept as it relates to Zentrepreneurship is very important. It is Impermanence that defines the entrepreneur. It is through change, entrepreneurs can exist.
As most of the world is stuck in permanence, the Zentrepreneur finds strength and path by seeing the world in a constant state of flux. It is through this lens that the Zentrepreneur can tap into innovation and continue to strengthen their ability to see the invisible.
The Practice of Impermanence:
1. Observe how things around you are changing, and adapt your daily routine. In the last chapter we discussed the importance of focusing on a daily routine and to avoid creating dependency on hypothetical events in the future. However, what is also important is to address impermanence by adapting your routine. Watch yourself change, your colleagues, your customers and the market change each day, and you will find strength in impermanence.
2. Do not trust that everything you believe is true. Your experiences of the past have a powerful influence over what you believe to be true. By holding on to these truths you are practicing permanence. Re-affirm your thoughts and beliefs each day when you are faced with an important decision. It is not just experience that enables wisdom, but the ability to accept that impermanence exists in all things - even your own truths.
3. Don't just observe impermanence, accept your impermanence. As a Zentrepreneur you need to accept that everything is in flux. As the saying goes - "Men plan, God laughs." By being focused on the plan (e.g. the future) - you are not only not focusing on the NOW but also not practicing impermanence. Accept that your thoughts, ideas and ultimately your business will change.
Summary:
All things we know are in a state of constant flux - Impermanence. The Zentrepreneur must adapt their daily routine to the flux around them, and also accept that they are impermenent as well.
Impermanence empowers you to make the changes necessary to build your path.
Zen | 2 | Routine
"Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our
usual everyday routine"
Shunryu Suzuki
DAILY ROUTINE
1. Wake up and answer all critical emails
2. Focus on top tasks that drive revenue3. Research and Learn
- Building Product or improving product
- Address any existing customer's concerns.
- Execute marketing/sales tasks to gain new customers.
4. Have Lunch
- Keep up with industry news / blogs
- Have conversations with customers / partners
- Brain Storm - white board new ideas
5. Answer all new critical emails
6. Evaluate team progress on any projects7. Go workout or go for a walk to re-engage with the Present and to
- Re-affirm critical path tasks with team
- Add new critical tasks (based on results of the day)
evaluate the day.
Zen | 1 | Path
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they
sought."
Basho
The essence of being a Zentrepreneur (now on referred to as "Z") is not based on following another's path, but instead focusing on your path.
If you follow another's path, you will only learn what they have learned. You will only see what they have seen. You will lose focus on what you seek. The essence of Z is centered around your entrepreneurial spirit.
It is important to define what you seek and clear your mind of external influence. Define what you want to create. See the world not the way it is, but the way you think it should be.
Once you are able to live in the moment and remove the dependency on past and future events to define your path - you will be able to embrace Z.
Before you can truly take the first step in your journey as an Zentrepreneur, you need to accept that the past and future have no relevance to your achievements today. Certainly, there is value in your experiences in the past and your vision for the future, but they do not effect positively or negatively your actions today. Focus on the present.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment.
Buddha
Once you are focused and absent of all external influence - define your next step. Release your mind from the limitations of goals or milestones you have defined. Everything is meaningless and irrelevent that is beyond the next step. The path has yet to be defined, therefore the destination does not exist. You are building the path in the here and now, and no longer following a path paved by others.
I know what you may be thinking - "If I completely ignore past and future thoughts, how do I define my goals? My plan?"
The answer is "You don't". By ignoring past and future thoughts, you are now able to truly focus on what matters - the NOW. You are liberating your time to focus on what you need to do today in order to continue to build your path. A plan is worthless if there is no action. Each day you focus on the NOW, you will gain new enlightenment on where your path is going.
Think of it like holding a flash light and walking through your house with no lights on. You are forced to depend on your instinct and what you can see directly in front of you. By focusing your mind and time on the next step, everything else becomes irrelevant. You eliminate all distractions (past and future) that are on the path, and focus on what is critical - your next step.
By focusing on NOW, you will be able to direct all your energy and time to what is most important, and remove all distractions of past and future. If each step you take is successful and receives your full attention - then the path you follow will lead you exactly where you want to go.
Summary:
Focus on your next step, and let each step build your path. Like a bricklayer building a road, focus your attention on the next brick, and remove from your mind the last brick laid and the road yet built.
One of the foundations of Z is to focus on the NOW and you will create your own Path.
A New Day - a New Book
I am officially starting my new book - working title "Zentrepreneur". Like my last book, I will use my blog as my work place, posting each chapter.
Instead of focusing on lessons for young entrepreneurs (like my last book), I will focus more on the internal aspects of being an entrepreneur.
As some level, being an entrepreneur is like adopting a philosophy on life, and it effects the way you think and live. Not unlike the same path of a Zen Buddhist.
Thus, the working title - ZENtrepreneur.
As a great mind Lao Tzu once said:
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."