For a long time, my internal vocabulary ran on phrases that kept me spinning in circles.
“I am worrying about.”
“I am feeling anxious.”
“I am stressed.”
It was always something. The launch. The funding round. The end goal. The thing that might go wrong. Running a business is hard, and it is incredibly easy to let these thoughts loop in your head all day long.
Lately, I have been catching those words and swapping them out for a better question.
What can I anticipate to ensure success?
It sounds small. It isn’t.
The Vocabulary of Execution
“Worrying about” keeps me stuck. It leaves me spinning on outcomes I completely lack control over.
“What can I anticipate?” puts me right back in the driver’s seat.
It is the exact same situation, but a completely different posture. One drains my energy. The other turns that energy into a concrete plan for getting sh*t done.
The words we use shape the way we think. And the way we think shapes what we actually do next.
I would much rather spend that energy preparing than spend it dreading. I don’t always catch it in time. But more and more, I notice the old words before they take hold, and I trade them for the better question.
Anticipate, don’t worry. Prepare, don’t dread.
Redirect your energy from spinning to focusing, and finally to moving forward.
The “I Will Enjoy It When” Trap
This simple mental hack bleeds directly into another mindset shift I work on every single day.
Enjoying the journey, not just the destination.
I want to be grateful for everything God has blessed me with right now, instead of worrying about whether I will accomplish some massive goal out in the future.
“I’ll enjoy it when…” is the gravitational pull I am constantly working against.
- ☑️When we secure X partnership.
- 💸When the business hits $X in revenue.
- 🤝When we get acquired.
The problem with this playbook is that the goal post always wants to move. And it is incredibly easy to move right along with it. You hit a milestone, and immediately you are stressed about the next one.
The Founders’ Regret
This is something my business partner Ian Blair and I keep coming back to. We look around and see a familiar, tragic pattern in this industry.
So many founders grind all the way to the big exit. They sacrifice everything to hit that number. And then they spend their entire next chapter talking about how great the journey was.
The irony? They were too busy and too stressed to actually feel the journey while they were in it.
I don’t want that to be us. I refuse to look back in a decade and realize I missed the best days of my life because I was blinded by a P&L statement.
So I am working to enjoy the journey every single day. I want to be grateful for each win exactly as it comes. I want to feel the joy of the success we work so hard for in the present, instead of saving it all for some imaginary finish line.
The Freedom of Certainty
Here is what has been clicking for me lately.
If I believe with absolute certainty that the future goal will happen, then I am completely free to enjoy the moment. And the moment is the actual life that is right in front of me.
That faith is what lets me look up from the inbox and actually see it.
When I look up, here is what I am focused on:
- ❤️Time with my daughter. She is only this age once, and these years do not come back.
- 🤝Time with my wife. The partner and the marriage I want to be fully present for, instead of trading real connection for logistics and quick check-ins.
- 🏋️Focusing on my health. Working out and keeping my energy right.
- 🙏Doing good in the world right now. Not waiting until I have $XX in the bank before I start loving people and giving back.
Keep The Bar High
None of this means lowering the bar.
Let me be clear on that. I still have massive goals, and I am still chasing them hard. We are building an 8-figure business at Laundry Sauce, and we have a relentless focus on excellence.
I am just changing how I spend the time in between the milestones.
I want to be completely locked in on what we are building at Laundry Sauce. And I want to be just as locked in on the adventure I am living alongside my wife and daughter while it is all happening.
You do not have to choose between crushing it in business and enjoying your life. You just have to change your vocabulary and decide to actually be present for the ride.
What arbitrary goals are keeping you from enjoying your journey right now? Drop a comment below and let me know.