The need to preserve your entrepreneurial memories
As entrepreneurs, we are consumed with being busy. We are busy serving clients, keeping the books afloat, trying to keep whoever is waiting at home happy, with the kids, and with Church. We are always busy, busy, busy. We are happy but busy. Well, I suppose happiness is debatable, but that’s a story for another day. My question is: How much time should we spend preserving our entrepreneurial memories while being busy? Should we not take time to stop and pen down our memories?
Do you smell the roses?
How strange is it that once you start delving into a subject, the universe throws a million more chunks of info back at you? I had the privilege of talking to Sue Fuller-Good during my recent Expedition Business Podcast interview. Our talk revolved around the concept of mindfulness and somatic experiences. How we should be more mindful of everything happening around us. The good and the bad. This thought takes us back on the constant loop of being busy and never making time for what is intrinsically important. Some balls will not bounce back if they fall, but a select few will shatter if they do get dropped. Our podcast theme with Sue was ‘no amount of wealth will bring back your health,’ but I would like to steal a little bit of inspiration from Sue and continue with ‘no amount of wealth will bring back your memories.
And yes, I know this sentence does not rhyme that well yet. It is a work in progress. The reality is that if you do not stop and pen down your memories, they will be lost. If you do not make a conscious effort to stop and take a photo, the moment is gone forever. This is part and parcel of your story. Your business’s story and your own personal story. If you are a devoted entrepreneur, those stories are so magically intertwined like there is no tomorrow.
Why should we pen down our stories?
I became fascinated with the whole theme of preserving your entrepreneurial memories after many years of trying to get to the bottom of why people decide to ultimately start their entrepreneurial story. The answer to that, which most often lies in their stories, will ultimately be the answer to why people should be using your business as opposed to anyone else.
Finding YOUR Sun
Ultimately we want to find your story of unique navigation or ‘finding your SUN‘ as we coined it. This is not something that AI can provide. This is not something that your PR girl can write, or at least not without your input. I usually spend a long time with my brand-building coaching clients to get to the bottom of their stories. But it is worth the investment ’cause the moment that you hit the magic note is the moment when you rediscover the passion that you had for your business in the first place. Essentially, this is what helps you rediscover the adventure of your business. Ultimately, we need to see and feel the adventure that our businesses provide us with. And that is the magic that our entrepreneurial story can provide us with. In fact, we should feel it, see it, smell it, hear it, and all the other senses possible. Helping us to wake up most mornings with a grateful heart.
Leaving a Legacy
If you don’t know it yet, I had the most amazing father. He was, after all, the person responsible for creating my passion for entrepreneurs. My dad passed away six years ago, and to this day, I still get people coming up to me, reminiscing about what my Dad meant to them. Most people knew the worth of his story, except him. I kept asking him to write down his story, but he always answered with, ‘Who would be interested?’ In the end, a journal my children supposedly gifted got him to start writing down some memories. The magic of grandkids worked like a charm. The notes in that journal are priceless beyond belief.
The point that I am trying to make is that we often think no one would be interested in my story. What makes me so special in writing my memoirs? If no one else cares, your children and grandchildren and all the offsprings after them will care. Or they should. I can tell you that I keep my Dad’s journal safely inside a waterproof container, stored away where nothing can happen to it. And yes, I did make copies of the pages too!
Wisdom from the Firepit
Sharing the story of your entrepreneurial adventures can start someone else’s fire. Whether that someone else is your child who needs to take the business reigns over from you or just a random stranger in need of inspiration, your wisdom from the firepit can light up their stars on the most random places.
And yes, that is pretty much our aim with our podcast series Expedition Business. Where we share the highs & lows of our inspirational South African Entrepreneurs and how they manage to keep the flame of business adventure burning. We know that putting on a smile is sometimes the toughest thing you have to do, but that is the story that we need to hear. The bare-to-the-bone, honest truth. The highs and the lows; the accolades and the ‘oh sh*t’ stumbles; the memories for eternity, and finally, your plans, hopes & dreams for brand new chapters in your story.
Writing as Therapy
The reality is that penning down your story might light up someone else’s entrepreneurial dreams, but it could very much also make a massive difference to you. In more ways than one. First and foremost, it is therapeutic. Everyone goes through trauma in some form or another. We might not recognize it yet, but no one goes through life without loss, feelings of anger, or whatever other emotion is nagging at you.
I, for instance, went through a meltdown around 2017. As a single mom of three very active schoolchildren, with a demanding marketing agency and numerous involvements at church and the community, I reached burnout without even realizing it. Subsequently, I made really bad decisions that cost me dearly. Writing about my experiences helped me work through the denial, bargaining, anger, sadness, and acceptance.
The clever people reckon that writing down your feelings is part of your recovery process. It gets moved away from that part of your brain where the emotions just keep on churning around and around in your head, till death do us part.
Spotting the Gaps
On a slightly less depressing note, writing down your entrepreneurial memories, helps you to spot the gaps in your story. You might have thought you are the bee’s knees when managing and growing your business. It is only when you sit down and take stock of your story that you can spot the gaps. If you are part of a company with multiple directors, it might be important to sit down together to work through what is working and what is not working.
No one is perfect and your story will never be perfect. The most important part is being brave enough to admit that there are many fixing ups to do and then action those maintenance blocks.
Is it time to stop and pen down the roses?
There is no time like the present. Stop being busy all the time. Grab a notebook and start writing. Or grab your laptop and start writing. There are lots of apps available to make the process more fun, but I find starting out on a normal Word document does the trick nicely. Or your notes application on your cellphone for those times when you are waiting in a queue or flying to some exotic destination. Whatever you do, start today. And don’t forget to take photos and videos along the way!
Your story can make a massive difference to someone out there, but also to yourself and your company.
Happy writing.
PS: Addventures Business Club will be hosting a series of ‘What’s Your Story’ Seminars that will help you pen down your story and take a zillion times more exciting photos to accompany the story. Sign up today to take full advantage of all our special training sessions, group coaching opportunities, and a whole lot more.