“He is the best programmer who doesn’t care about our vision.”

Courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine (2011)

The title quote is from the biographical film, Jobs (2013). It’s a statement that was made by Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher) when one of his team members failed to see/share the vision that he had for the fonts on the Lisa Project and the programmer was subsequently fired.

This past week has been pretty interesting.

The business has taken the turn for the better- for the first time in I don’t know how many months– and with that, came a myriad of lessons. I learnt about what perseverance really means to skeptics, critics, investors and consumers alike.

It’s that look in the founder’s eye that says:

 “Really, this project is going to happen. And it WILL be a breakthrough success. I am here, to rule the world.”

This is what my next feat is: being able to express to future investors our intentions and our ability as a team to make good on all our deliverables. Many would think that a couple of years of experience (where it matters), some great ideas and a well thought-through plan of execution is enough to woe any potential “buyer”. But I think that the above is actually secondary. What the buyer wants to see is more than mere ability but a combination of ability and passion/drive/zest. That is, how badly do YOU want to see this succeed?

When the going gets tough, it is the belief and dedication of every member of the team that determines whether you crumble under the pressure or you rise-up to the occasion. Forget, for a moment, the list of qualifications which accompany the various organs of the company. Yes, organs.

The company as a whole is like the human body with every team member being a different yet vital organ…Vital to the performance and wellbeing of the overall body. And believe me, the going really does get tough. There are times when nothing seems to be going your way and every attempt to move forward seems like a leap towards the back. It is in these times where tensions rise and with them comes a googolplex of overwhelming frustrations that sadly can not be remedied by anything but success. A programmer that believes that he deserves to get paid according to his contribution and his expertise will fail you at this point because you are unable to fulfill these needs. You’re still a startup. Which by definition is:

“…a human institution designed to deliver a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty.”- Eric Ries, The Lean Startup

So you need people that will be willing to endure these conditions because they possess a clear understanding and belief in the vision of the startup. And they are determined to do all that they can to achieve this vision because they know- that their efforts will yield success and this success will be worth all the time and money sacrificed for this team of revolutionaries.

That’s what you want: dedication throttled by belief; not mere action driven by compensation.

So, look amongst your crew members and ask yourself whether these are the right people to be the custodians of your vision of a better tomorrow.

Haunted by Desire

The ghosts of desperation and lust and envy hide in the shadow of our yearning. Be it money, material possessions, or accolades, we are haunted by our aspirations. After all, we become what we desire.

Covet that shiny new truck, that next big promotion, that beautiful man or woman, and you will feel unspeakable pain until it/he/she is yours. When your desire is met, however, your flame is not extinguished. No, you are instead filled with brand new desires, a never-ending cycle.

The key, then, is to aspire toward something meaningful. Instead of jonesing for things, we must pursue those which are without definitive milestones: growth, contribution, love.

These qualities are self-fulfilling: Seek growth and you will grow. Endeavor to give to others and you will, by definition, contribute beyond yourself. Love others and your cup with overflow with the love you give.

It is not wrong to have aspirations, desires, goals. But it is wrong for us to imagine that we can ever satiate our ever-growing need for more.

[Read more from The Minimalists]

BECAUSE I DESERVE IT!

We all want to make good choices, the correct selection, the most righteous decision. It goes without saying.

But of course our impulsive, mammalian brains like to get in the way and muck it all up, don’t they? Which means that instead of relying on reason and data and facts, we seek to validate our bad decisions via any-means-necessary-type justification.

One of the worst forms of this kind of rationalization is Because I deserve it!

Unfortunately, we’ve gotten good at using this excuse to push aside logic and give grounds for our screw ups. This sense of entitlement is a slippery slope, though.

Sometimes the excuse is benign (at least initially): After my long day, I deserve an ice cream cone! Sure, most of us won’t experience negative effects from a single dessert. But this fact is quickly torpedoed when one cone turns into two, which turns into four, and so forth. After all, if you deserve one treat, why not more? Why not every day?

Even if you do deserve it, or even if the decision is the right one, there’re myriad good reasons—rationals based on sound reason, logical thought, or even personal intuition—to make the right decision. Because I deserve it! is never one of them.

[Read more at The Minimalists]

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YOU ARE WHAT YOU DESIRE

Every whole person has wants, cravings, aspirations. We all desire something. We don’t, however, all have the same desires.

Some of us long to create something meaningful, to make a difference in the world, to eschew the so-called American Dream in favor of something better, something more deliberate, an experience-driven life of intentionality instead of a life pushed toward the wrong side of the consumption continuum.

On the other hand, some of us watch the luminous box flicking in our living rooms and yearn for the material things in its advertisements—the things that bring us stress and discontent and often keep us tied to a particular income, which keeps us tied to jobs we don’t love (or worse, jobs we hate), all so we can obtain the shiny objects projected on the glowing rectangle. [Read more on The Minimalists]