RR#098 - Why Are Some Founders Happier Than Others?

Hola Business Builders,

A strongly held belief of mine:

We are all naturally goal striving machines. We are wired to be moving towards something.

Does that mean everyone is setting goals?

No.

But it does mean the people who are properly setting goals are going to be happier and more fulfilled than people who aren’t.

Why?

Goals provide direction.

And most of our happiness and sense of fulfillment comes from making progress towards something meaningful.

That goal may be building a 8-figure business. It may be creating incredible humans as a parent. It may be rebuilding the classic car in the garage. It may be something else entirely.

But when you are making progress towards a meaningful goal, you are going to be happier and more fulfilled than you would be going through life without that same direction.

And for founders, that has a crucial implication: burnout.

Take two founders putting in the same hours:

Founder 1 has a clear vision of what they are building, with exciting (achievable) goals throughout.

And Founder 2? Wandering around aimlessly, building towards nothing explicit.

The data is in. Founder 1 is going to burnout much less often.

Which says something interesting about the nature of burnout:

It’s not about lack of energy, it’s about lack of progress. And without goals, it’s very difficult to ‘feel’ progress.

The founder marching towards a crystal clear vision, and seeing regular progress, feels more fulfilled than someone working half the hours a week on a business they don’t really want to be in.

See, when you are investing a lot of work and energy towards building or creating something you think is meaningful, it’s energizing. The progress you’re making feeds you, and makes it that much easier to keep working towards it.

This also explains why so many people burnout in corporate. It’s not just that the hours are crushing them. It’s that the hours are being invested into building someone else’s vision. That’s the bit that really drains your energy, happiness, and sense of fulfillment.

So, it’s essential to have goals and a clear vision of what you are working towards. If you don’t, you’re robbing yourself of the feeling you’ll get as you work to achieve them.

But here’s the rub:

People often make a big mistake when they set their goals.

And as someone who comes from political fundraising, private equity, and entrepreneurship, this may surprise you.

But I believe one of the most common mistakes people make with goal-setting is setting their goals too high at the start.

What?

Isn’t it, shoot for the moon and hit the stars?

Sadly, no.

Setting goals that are too aggressive and unattainable is actually counterproductive.

It destroys motivation, creates toxic sales cultures, and leads people to hold back, not legitimately giving their all - or even getting started.

I share more on that in my latest YouTube video which you can check out here:

P.S. - Wanna take it on the road? Tune in on Repeatable Revenue Podcast here.