Thinking Before Doing

As I transition away from working in corporate environment to a full-time entrepreneur, I’ve run into a strange problem lately – passion. Big companies do things because a) they’re easy or b) they’re cost effective. However, the opposite is true for startups. Startups are driven by pure passion and the drive to solve hard problems.

Whether it’s re-inventing e-commerce (shameless plug) or disrupting medicine, there is a lot of work that needs to be done.

Big ideas take a long time to come to fruition and every action needs to be deliberate. When you try to grow too fast – you stumble. When you mix terminology – you lose credibility. When you try and do everything in one single day – you burn out. Once or twice – they’re necessary. However, when they become daily problems – you’re doing things without thinking. And that will ultimately haunt you in the short term and long term.

So, next time you want to do something – think. Even if it is for just a minute. It’ll serve you well in the long term.

Balance

Every few months, I end up taking a solo trip for the sole purpose of clearing my head. That definitely doesn’t sound amazing. Or fun. But, it is exhilarating.

I’m writing this from a no frills hotel in Quito, Ecuador. I arrived here on Saturday night after flying nearly the entire day, spent all of yesterday exploring the city and most of today either working or napping. I depart in a little over 12 hours and I couldn’t have been more glad about this time off.

Being an entrepreneur is a funny thing – you invest so much of your time and heart into focusing on one product, but the reality of the world comes striking down on you at some point. Call it survival. Call it reality. Or, like most people – call it fear. I call it energy to double down and push through hard and fast.

I’m fortunate enough that I have nearly unlimited resources to travel the world without making a significant impact on my bank balance. But, at the end of the day, even a 3 day trip such as this drives people to reality. In this case, reality being that having the best job in the world requires sacrifices that most people will never ever understand.

Ask anyone who has started a company. If they haven’t been through the insane highs and the brutal lows, they haven’t pushed themselves hard enough.

And often times – this is what makes my job the greatest job in the world. It requires a ton of sacrifices, but the rewards and the journey balances the entire thing out.

So, to those with all work and no play – get a balance.

And to those with all play and no work – what’s your secret? ;-)

Let Kids Play

I was walking to work yesterday morning, enjoying the 30 degree weather in New York (note: that’s freezing) and I saw a family taking photos around the Wall Street area. Unlike most families on vacation, the Dad or the Mom weren’t the only ones taking photos. I saw a young kid around 9 years old, taking photos with her iPod touch. And she wasn’t being rushed by her parents.

Technology has made life easier. Tasks have been simplified and life has become a tad bit convenient. But, along the way, people stopped playing and experiencing things around them. As someone who has a viewfinder stuck to his eye on most trips, I am definitely guilty of this.

But – technology has also made people intuitive and creative. When I see a 9 year old taking photos on something that she uses on a daily basis – that’s a big step forward. Not only will she edit those photos on a device that didn’t exist 10 years ago, but she will be able to share content with her friends.

When I was a kid, this sort of technology was not embedded in my day-to-day activities. I had to learn the hard way. I did. And I had a lot of fun doing so along the way.

The next generation is going to be far different. These kids are being born into a world where social networks and mobile devices are the norm. And these items truly inspire and drive creativity – simply because they are having fun.