Don't Focus So Much on Success You Never See Your Friends and Family True entrepreneurial success is deftly managing business demands so well that you keep close to the people who love you.
By Timothy Sykes Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When taking on the difficult task of being an entrepreneur, many busy individuals start making less and less time for their personal lives. Whether they stop working out as much or stop paying as much attention to their hobbies, when work demands grow, personal obligations seem to fall by the wayside. While no person will ever achieve the "perfect" work life balance, it is important that all entrepreneurs remember the importance of friends, family and loved ones in their life. While spending time with these individual may often fall second to the demands of the job, their presence does a lot to help an entrepreneur thrive.
Unfortunately, there are so many entrepreneurs spending most of their time focusing on products, profits and on the latest actions of their competitors. Getting so caught up in all of the dollars and cents of running a business causes many to forget some parts of their humanity. Entrepreneurs who want to do everything on their own often unknowingly shut out others.
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The important thing to remember is that we are all human. Not even the most skilled entrepreneur can do everything on his or her own. We all need the support of others to succeed. This is particularly important for entrepreneurs because they, unfortunately, face failure much more than the average person working a job. Owning a business often means failing much more than succeeding. If and when you do fail, it will be your friends and family who will support you, keep you on track and help you pick yourself back up again. So while you may not think about it, your friends and family are extremely important to your overall success as an entrepreneur.
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While it can be tempting, don't be a loner. Do not forget about the important people in your life. Don't be so obsessed with work and your company that you have no real life to speak of. While you may think that pouring every spare second into your company will fulfill you, you are still abandoning a very important part of your needs as a person and you are abandoning the friends, family and loved ones that matter most.
This can be a hard pill for some entrepreneurs to swallow, but it is an important piece of advice to consider. It is easy to say you will spend more time with your loved ones but it is even more difficult to follow through with these actions, especially if you are running a startup in today's highly competitive market.
For the many entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs who are struggling to make time for their friends and loved ones it is important to remember this: when you do achieve success and you have spent 100% of your time working to achieve that success and money, who will you share your success with?
If you want to be the best entrepreneur possible, then you need to make sure to be thankful for your family. Remember to keep friends, family and loved ones close throughout the entire process, whether you are just getting started, facing a difficult downturn with your company or just looking for someone to share the fruits of your labor with. Having individuals that care about you surrounding you during the difficult endeavor of being an entrepreneur will make all of the work seem worth it.
So remember, next time you are tempted to blow off friends and family to spend another evening inside alone, working, think about whether or not it is really worth it in the end. It will help you keep everything in perspective. It is good for your relationships, it is good for your family and it is good for your mind and your soul.
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