Steve Jobs!
You said:
“I want to put a dent in the universe.”
. . . and you did just that.
Thank you and RIP!
I certainly did not know Steve Jobs personally, and I ain’t no bettin’ man, but I’d wager that man led a life that was VERY full of Entrepreneurial seizures.
Just for the fun of it, I Googled “Seizure” and found this on Wiki:
“a transient symptom of “abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain”.[1] The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement (tonic-clonic seizure) or as mild as a brief loss of awareness. It can manifest as an alteration in mental state, tonic or clonic movements, convulsions, and various other psychic symptoms (such as déjà vu or jamais vu).”
Sound familiar?
Most all of us have some “entrepreneurial fits” . . . some of us more than others.
While our seizures may not be quite as dramatic to the casual observer as a true physical seizure, it clearly causes “Loss of Awareness” for a period of time.
The big difference between the Entrepreneurs who succeed at a high level and those who don’t has to do with what happens during the seizure . . . What do you do with the “Loss of Awareness?”
For sure, your eye is off the ball of whatever you were doing when the seizure “happened” creating loss of FOCUS . . . as your attention shifts to what could be if you were to chase THAT rabbit down THAT trail (instead of the one in front of you).
Folks like Steve Jobs are quick to re-allocate their attention and resources towards other entrepreneurial pursuits when their gut tells them it’s a worthy pursuit . . . and they can turn on a dime.
Do they always succeed?
NOPE!
If fact, they probably fail FAR more time than they succeed, but when they succeed, they succeed BIG.
Just as in soccer . . . If a team wants more goals, they must more take more SHOTS.
The consummate Entrepreneur understands all of this and allows the seizures to happen. She does not suppress them . . . She pays attention and takes a quick internal read as to which matters more . . . The current task/project at hand . . . or that bright shiny NEW idea?
Knowing when it’s OVER is just as important as deciding to pursue a new direction.
Is this seizure taking you into a cul-de-sac, or are you entering an on-ramp to a 12 lane Speedway?
Don’t suppress your seizures . . . Let’m happen and make conscious decisions based on what MATTERS.
Steve Jobs was masterful at all of this . . . and not everything he touched turned to gold . . . but I think he did OK 🙂
What d’ya think?
Best,
b