Navigating the turbulent waters of entrepreneurship is no small feat. The highs are exhilarating, but the lows can be utterly consuming. Somewhere in the middle of this wild ride, I re-discovered something that transformed my approach to both life and business—motorcycling.
My Entrepreneurial Journey
Entrepreneurship often feels like a relentless pursuit of the next big breakthrough. Each milestone demands more attention, more energy, and more sacrifice. It’s easy to fall into the trap of hustle culture, where success is measured by external accolades and societal validation. In this whirlwind, we abandon anything that doesn’t directly contribute to our goals, often sacrificing personal well-being and happiness.
I took a break from motorcycling for almost two years, at a time when I thought I was being disciplined, inn order to focus on what I established as the most important pursuits. Anything that could be cataloged as frivolous, a luxury or not in perfect alignment with my quest for success was culled and jettisoned from my focus.
Success? With a Question Mark
One of the key flaws that I would come to see was that I hadn’t defined success in terms of what it really meant for me. The other is being that I need to have some combination of focus and creative expression to function at my highest level.
What I thought was developing self- discipline and removing distractions turned out to have the opposite effect. With all good intentions, I tried to find another gear to move me closer to that elusive concept of success that dangled in front of me like a carrot. I fell into the potential of instant gratification that hustle culture implies. All the while, in the back of my mind, I knew it was unsustainable, and a dream of some future state always persisted as the ultimate goal.
Entrepreneurs have a tendency to operate in the extremes. Motorcycling, creative writing, relationships were all luxuries that I thought I couldn’t afford. What happened was that I was becoming myopic about a version of success that was at its core disconnected from my purpose and happiness.
I was overworked, overweight, and cash poor, I had severe hypertension and no motorcycles.
The Problem with Hustle Culture
Hustle culture glorifies constant work, often promoting an unhealthy obsession with success. It conditions us to measure our worth by outward expressions of achievements and material gains—things other people value. While this drive can lead to significant accomplishments, it also erodes our sense of self and diminishes the joy of the journey.
We end up in a weakened state when we barrel along in the fast lane of the hustle culture highway. We end up seeking a destination that, in my case, was not aligned with my values, goals and personal ambitions. In this weakened state, we are even more susceptible to the influence of what other people project on us as their definition of success or expectation for what we should be doing with our careers and lives.
Re-Discovering Motorcycling
In the midst of this frenzied quest for success, I found solace on two wheels. Motorcycling became a form of high-intensity meditation that altered my perspective on life and business. When you are on a motorbike, any mistake or errant driver can be catastrophic. When you are giving all your attention to being in the moment and safely and vigorously operating your two wheeled machine, there is no room for problems from the office to take over your focus.
It should come as little surprise that when you juxtapose work problems with riding, those problems that can seem all- consuming are materially diminished in impact and importance. Missing a deadline on an internal memo can send you and your team into a tailspin. However, this pales in comparison to going into a real tailspin when a distracted driver pulls out in front of you.
High-Intensity Meditation
Riding a motorcycle demands absolute focus and presence. Every twist of the throttle, every lean into a curve requires full attention. There’s no room for distraction, no space for the mind to wander. This intense focus forces you to live in the moment, to be fully present.
Benefits of Being Present
- Clarity of Thought: When you’re fully engaged in a task, your mind is free from the clutter of daily stressors. This clarity extends beyond the ride, into your decision-making processes as an entrepreneur and investor.
- Reduced Stress: Living in the moment and focusing on the present reduces anxiety about the future and regrets about the past. This mental shift can lead to improved overall well-being.
- Enhanced Creativity: By stepping away from the constant grind, we allow our minds the freedom to explore new ideas and perspectives. This creative boost can lead to innovative solutions in business.
Lessons from the Road
Motorcycling has taught me several invaluable lessons that have reshaped my approach to entrepreneurship and investing:
- Adaptability: The road is unpredictable. Conditions change, obstacles appear, and you must adapt quickly. This mirrors the entrepreneurial journey, where flexibility and quick thinking are critical.
- Balance: Just as a motorcycle needs balance to stay upright, so does life. Striking a balance between work and personal passions ensures long-term sustainability and happiness.
- Enjoy the Journey: The joy of motorcycling isn’t just in reaching the destination; it’s in the ride itself. Similarly, the entrepreneurial path should be savored, not just endured for the sake of success.
A New Definition of Success
Success, I’ve learned, isn’t solely about achieving external milestones. It’s about finding fulfillment in the process, maintaining balance, and being true to oneself. Motorcycling has provided me with a new lens through which I view my endeavors. It’s not just about the destination, but the richness of the ride.For me, my new definition of success began to inform all aspects of my life.
For me, doing what I love isn’t just one thing. I love investing in startup, I love motorcycles, I love traveling, photography and writing; so when I allow the space to embrace my loves and passions, things take on their respective roles in the full life I am trying to build. I love investing, but doing it at the highest possible level affords me the resources to pursue my other passions. This becomes an ever increasing cycle of self perpetuating motivation.
The Bend in the Road
My definition of success used to be to create extraordinary personal wealth through entrepreneurship. Looking at it now, if a student in one of my university classes would have said this to me, I would have pushed hard for them to really explain what that means. This statement alone says nothing about mission, impact, self-actualization, leadership, curiosity and continual learning.
After doing a lot of work on this subject, it turns out I am not actually motivated by sitting on a big pile of money. Financial gains, for me, are barely in the picture when compared to my drive to add value to other entrepreneurs, to advance technologies and innovations that benefit humanity and educate and engage in deep explorations of entrepreneurship and the human condition. Every day I am grateful for how fortunate I am to be working on my dream career, that I can actually refer to myself as a “published author” and that you are reading these words and sharing in this intellectual exploration together.
Taking that into context, my definition of success today is “to keep doing this for as long as I can,” and my mission is to be responsible for creating 1000 millionaires in this world who are also doing what they love. If that happens, I will certainly be taken care of along the way (and be able to add more bikes to the collection).
What Is Your Goal?
If you find yourself caught in the relentless cycle of hustle culture, I urge you to pause and reevaluate. What brings you joy? What clears your mind and refocuses your energy? For me, it was motorcycling. For you, it might be something different. The key is to find that passion and make it an integral part of your life.
In my role as an investor, I have learned to look very closely at the people we invest in and how they define success. I’m spending more time getting to know the founder’s we back by asking more about their hobbies, passions and creative outlets. There is no one answer for everyone, but I am looking for the shared experience of calibrating an productive entrepreneurial existence.
Are you ready to redefine your success and find your own form of high-intensity meditation? Join me on this journey, and let’s ride the road of entrepreneurship with a renewed perspective.
Ride safe, ride far, and make the journey count.
