5 ms·

When I was starting my company, I had to cold-call a few dozen people to test a hypothesis. I delayed it for weeks, and when I finally forced myself to pick up

When I was starting my company, I had to cold-call a few dozen people to test a hypothesis. I delayed it for weeks, and when I finally forced myself to pick up the phone, I dreaded dialing every digit. Today, three years into running the company, picking up the phone to call a dozen people is peanuts. I don't like doing it, I'm not very good at it, I delegate it whenever I can, but if call I must, I'll do it, I'll be efficient at it, and I'll get results. Saying "you didn't do it because you weren't meant to" is nonsense. Get your act together, stop making excuses for yourself, and do the uncomfortable thing that must be done, even if you lose sleep over it. If you do it long enough, it will seize being uncomfortable and become second nature. Shakespeare said it best through Hamlet: Assume a virtue, if you have it not. That monster, custom, who all sense doth eat, Of habits devil, is angel yet in this, That to the use of actions fair and good He likewise gives a frock or livery, That aptly is put on. Refrain to-night; And that shall lend a kind of easiness To the next abstinence: the next more easy; For use almost can change the stamp of nature, And master ev’n the devil or throw him out With wondrous potency.

karjaluoto 15y ago
The argument isn't one of never doing unpleasant things. (I don't like changing the oil on my car, but I know it needs to be done.) Instead, I suggest examining why a desire seems important, and whether it might be more of a societal (or ego-driven) thing. Additionally, I believe that if you take the time to find out what you really enjoy, some things will sort themselves out. I've been really good at getting off my ass and doing things, as you suggest. In spite of this willingness to act, some of those things weren't as necessary as I had once believed.
- kurtvarner 15y ago
  Forget the naysayers. They're missing the point. This was one of the most enlightening articles I've read in some time. Most of us want to finish the race, but see running as a chore. The take away - Do what you love and "running" becomes enjoyable.
  - karjaluoto 15y ago
    Thank you. :-)
  - matwood 15y ago
    "Enjoyable" can also be a frame of mind. While doing a task that on the surface seems unenjoyable focus on the enjoyable parts and/or the final destination ("finishing the race").
- abraxasz 15y ago
  I still have a problem with the statement "...make time to find out what you really enjoy". Sure, everybody wants that. But take the example of running, or writing. Well like many people, I hated running at first, I really did. But I sticked to it because, well maybe it was some kind of challenge I had set to myself. And I got better at it. And I started to enjoy the feeling, to understand the messages from my body. This is a classic example and I'm sure I'm not the only one to whom that happened. But let's now take the example of writing. I'm no writer, just a casual blogger (at best). I write by periods, but there is something I noticed: when I write often, inspiration and creativity flows more easily, and I tend to enjoy the activity more, while when I'm writing sporadicly, inspiration just doesn't come, and writing becomes a chore. The opposite works too. I've always loved playing video games. This is something I really enjoyed doing. But you know what? When I turned 20, I decided that I would no longer play on a regular basis because I had better things to do with my life. Now I only play about 20 days a year, during the holidays. And that's it. And I'm happy because while I wasn't playing video games, well I got better at programming, I read Nietzsche, spent some time with friends (all things that I used to enjoy less that playing video games), and learnt how to love these things more than playing games. Another point I'd like to raise is the fact that some things are more difficult to appreciate than others. Take wine for instance. Very few people like wine when they first try it, but when you get better at distinguishing the flavors, it is something amazing. The same goes with coffee (I mean coffee without sugar, cream, and other spoilers). Same with Jazz or Classic music. You have to learn how to appreciate these things. I guess what I'm trying to say is: don't trust your first impression. Or the second. Or the third. You can only know what you really enjoy if you try different things, and stick to them long enough.
  - tertius 15y ago
    So what you're saying is that we all need to make time to find out what we really enjoy? tongue in cheek I agree and I can mention many examples of my own in this regard where I didn't enjoy something until I tried for a while. What a luxury to have the time and resources to "find what you really enjoy." It seems to be a first world problem kinda thing and coming from 1st/3rd (South Africa) it's a little paradigm shift (whilst reading) to appreciate where everyone is coming from.
patrickyeon 15y ago
I think the argument is less about "don't do the (relatively) minor uncomfortable things", and more about aligning yourself so that the major part of your work is something you love. Love writing, not being an author. Love running a business, not the title of CEO. And if you don't love either of those, find what you love, and put yourself in a situation where that is what you do.
- keeptrying 15y ago
  Your sticking to the narrative and not what actually happens in a practical sense. You dont get to be CEO till your company has happy customers paying you moeny and your making a tidy profit. Till then you'll do anything and evertyhign thats necessary - most of it is unpleasent. 10% is fun.
  - karjaluoto 15y ago
    Maybe being the CEO isn't the point.
    - einhverfr 15y ago
      Ideally the point is doing something interesting and seeing your work change the lives of other people for the better.
      - keeptrying 15y ago
        Exactly. I am using a lot of my time figuring out how to get on a more impactful project. But I think even that would be better served by me judst launching my tiny damn site already!
        einhverfr 15y ago
        Big impacts come from making a habit of small ones.
  - NinetyNine 15y ago
keeptrying 15y ago
This is very true. If starting a company is something you've always wanted to do (like me) then when you do it you'll find so much crap that you dislike or even hate but still have to do. Some examples: 1. reading through all your contracts, legalese, terms of service and everything else you need a lawyer for. Mind numbingly boring but also real important. 2. writing copy for your site. 3. pitching your company in a bar at the end of a 80 hour week where you just want a drink in peace. 4. dealing with psycho customers who troll you for no good reason on forums where your promoting your company 5. Accounting. Starting a company is probably the most extreme example though. Most profressions are just that - ie made up of 1 profession. Starting a company is a multi-profession profession. Most of which you'd have never done before.
- karjaluoto 15y ago
  I've been a partner in our agency for 12 years now. It's been a hell of a lot of work. Additionally, the fun and interesting parts have always outweighed the bad. Again, my point isn't to avoid anything uncomfortable. It's to do it for the right reasons, and to ensure that you aren't procrastinating at something you dislike, when you could be getting ahead at what you do like.
meric 15y ago
Which is easier: 1. Doing cold-calls because you have the discipline to do it. 2. Doing cold calls because you love to do it. It's obviously (2). Therefore, when possible, love what you do. I see myself as very lazy but looking back the past 4 years in university, I've done well because I "work hard". I spend ~20 hours a week programming and learning new skills, not because I have the discipline to do it, but because it is simply what I do. Classmates who rely only on discipline alone don't stand a chance. IMHO1 sometimes discipline is necessary to achieve your goals, but try not to depend on it too much. I used to hate making hamburgers at McDonald's. After many months it became second nature. Three years later I asked myself: "Why am I doing this besides for the $15 an hour, which I can easily get programming for other people". When I couldn't come up with an answer, I quit. The worst thing one can do is to have mediocrity becoming second nature without it having helped achieve any of one's goals. IMHO2 if you must rely on discipline to do something, make it something worthwhile.

karjaluoto 15y ago

The argument isn't one of never doing unpleasant things. (I don't like changing the oil on my car, but I know it needs to be done.) Instead, I suggest examining why a desire seems important, and whether it might be more of a societal (or ego-driven) thing. Additionally, I believe that if you take the time to find out what you really enjoy, some things will sort themselves out. I've been really good at getting off my ass and doing things, as you suggest. In spite of this willingness to act, some of those things weren't as necessary as I had once believed.

kurtvarner 15y ago
Forget the naysayers. They're missing the point. This was one of the most enlightening articles I've read in some time. Most of us want to finish the race, but see running as a chore. The take away - Do what you love and "running" becomes enjoyable.
- karjaluoto 15y ago
  Thank you. :-)
- matwood 15y ago
  "Enjoyable" can also be a frame of mind. While doing a task that on the surface seems unenjoyable focus on the enjoyable parts and/or the final destination ("finishing the race").
abraxasz 15y ago
I still have a problem with the statement "...make time to find out what you really enjoy". Sure, everybody wants that. But take the example of running, or writing. Well like many people, I hated running at first, I really did. But I sticked to it because, well maybe it was some kind of challenge I had set to myself. And I got better at it. And I started to enjoy the feeling, to understand the messages from my body. This is a classic example and I'm sure I'm not the only one to whom that happened. But let's now take the example of writing. I'm no writer, just a casual blogger (at best). I write by periods, but there is something I noticed: when I write often, inspiration and creativity flows more easily, and I tend to enjoy the activity more, while when I'm writing sporadicly, inspiration just doesn't come, and writing becomes a chore. The opposite works too. I've always loved playing video games. This is something I really enjoyed doing. But you know what? When I turned 20, I decided that I would no longer play on a regular basis because I had better things to do with my life. Now I only play about 20 days a year, during the holidays. And that's it. And I'm happy because while I wasn't playing video games, well I got better at programming, I read Nietzsche, spent some time with friends (all things that I used to enjoy less that playing video games), and learnt how to love these things more than playing games. Another point I'd like to raise is the fact that some things are more difficult to appreciate than others. Take wine for instance. Very few people like wine when they first try it, but when you get better at distinguishing the flavors, it is something amazing. The same goes with coffee (I mean coffee without sugar, cream, and other spoilers). Same with Jazz or Classic music. You have to learn how to appreciate these things. I guess what I'm trying to say is: don't trust your first impression. Or the second. Or the third. You can only know what you really enjoy if you try different things, and stick to them long enough.
- tertius 15y ago
  So what you're saying is that we all need to make time to find out what we really enjoy? tongue in cheek I agree and I can mention many examples of my own in this regard where I didn't enjoy something until I tried for a while. What a luxury to have the time and resources to "find what you really enjoy." It seems to be a first world problem kinda thing and coming from 1st/3rd (South Africa) it's a little paradigm shift (whilst reading) to appreciate where everyone is coming from.

patrickyeon 15y ago

I think the argument is less about "don't do the (relatively) minor uncomfortable things", and more about aligning yourself so that the major part of your work is something you love. Love writing, not being an author. Love running a business, not the title of CEO. And if you don't love either of those, find what you love, and put yourself in a situation where that is what you do.

keeptrying 15y ago
Your sticking to the narrative and not what actually happens in a practical sense. You dont get to be CEO till your company has happy customers paying you moeny and your making a tidy profit. Till then you'll do anything and evertyhign thats necessary - most of it is unpleasent. 10% is fun.
- karjaluoto 15y ago
  Maybe being the CEO isn't the point.
  - einhverfr 15y ago
    Ideally the point is doing something interesting and seeing your work change the lives of other people for the better.
    - keeptrying 15y ago
      Exactly. I am using a lot of my time figuring out how to get on a more impactful project. But I think even that would be better served by me judst launching my tiny damn site already!
      - einhverfr 15y ago
        Big impacts come from making a habit of small ones.
- NinetyNine 15y ago

keeptrying 15y ago

This is very true. If starting a company is something you've always wanted to do (like me) then when you do it you'll find so much crap that you dislike or even hate but still have to do. Some examples: 1. reading through all your contracts, legalese, terms of service and everything else you need a lawyer for. Mind numbingly boring but also real important. 2. writing copy for your site. 3. pitching your company in a bar at the end of a 80 hour week where you just want a drink in peace. 4. dealing with psycho customers who troll you for no good reason on forums where your promoting your company 5. Accounting. Starting a company is probably the most extreme example though. Most profressions are just that - ie made up of 1 profession. Starting a company is a multi-profession profession. Most of which you'd have never done before.

karjaluoto 15y ago
I've been a partner in our agency for 12 years now. It's been a hell of a lot of work. Additionally, the fun and interesting parts have always outweighed the bad. Again, my point isn't to avoid anything uncomfortable. It's to do it for the right reasons, and to ensure that you aren't procrastinating at something you dislike, when you could be getting ahead at what you do like.

meric 15y ago

Which is easier: 1. Doing cold-calls because you have the discipline to do it. 2. Doing cold calls because you love to do it. It's obviously (2). Therefore, when possible, love what you do. I see myself as very lazy but looking back the past 4 years in university, I've done well because I "work hard". I spend ~20 hours a week programming and learning new skills, not because I have the discipline to do it, but because it is simply what I do. Classmates who rely only on discipline alone don't stand a chance. IMHO1 sometimes discipline is necessary to achieve your goals, but try not to depend on it too much. I used to hate making hamburgers at McDonald's. After many months it became second nature. Three years later I asked myself: "Why am I doing this besides for the $15 an hour, which I can easily get programming for other people". When I couldn't come up with an answer, I quit. The worst thing one can do is to have mediocrity becoming second nature without it having helped achieve any of one's goals. IMHO2 if you must rely on discipline to do something, make it something worthwhile.