Is it possible to look forward to working on your business just as much as weekends and vacations?

[Paul David]

I'm away for 10 days next week for a holiday and it got me thinking.

We all look forward to weekends and vacations for a bit of relaxation and a break from the routine, but what about our businesses? Do you find yourself just as excited to get back to work? Can we cultivate the same sense of anticipation and joy for our entrepreneurial projects as we do for our leisure time?

I'm eager to learn if anyone has managed to merge this enthusiasm or if its possibly because of specific aspects of your business that you look forward to working on it.

I've considered that repetition might help to some extent, but if you're engaged in a job you're not fond of, that strategy falls short.

In my case, if I were to answer, it would partly be the weather—I need some sunshine. Additionally, my current strategy involves facing numerous rejections from cold outreach or having my messages ignored entirely. When I was running my previous Amazon store, daily negative reviews from customers were a low point, even when the issues weren't my fault. It could be that I'm in what's called the 'desert of desertion,' lacking sufficient positive reinforcement at the moment.

Has anyone discovered techniques that effectively bring a sense of excitement and discipline to your business, even if you don't love every aspect of it once the initial excitement wears off?

 

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[theag]

When things are going well, I love working on my business and even prefer it over leisure activities. I had times where I was so excited I had to force myself to go to bed, then couldn't fall asleep because my thoughts were still going high speed around what I was working on.

When things are not going so well, not so much...

So I guess my suggestion for a technique is to have a great business

 

[REV5028]

I work a 9-to-5 that I really really don't want to be in anymore - I used to enjoy the work, but now I don't want to do it at all. I would much rather be working on growing my side hustle into an actual business. When it comes to my 9-to-5 I have a very hard time giving even 3 hours of my time a day, but if I didn't have the pressure of my 9-to-5 I could (and have) easily put 12 hours a day into my business project. For me, the difference is impact. In my day job I really don't know how what I do matters and I work remotely, so I don't interact with people too often. With my side hustle I get to see first hand how I'm helping people and their dogs.

I still have days where I feel I need to take a break from my side hustle to do other things that I enjoy, but I never dread getting started back up on it even with a very long list of things to do and problems to solve.

 

[Paul David]

When things are going well, I love working on my business and even prefer it over leisure activities. I had times where I was so excited I had to force myself to go to bed, then couldn't fall asleep because my thoughts were still going high speed around what I was working on.

When things are not going so well, not so much...

So I guess my suggestion for a technique is to have a great business

Interesting, make sense that if your business is thriving it would make it easier to look forward to spending time on it.

 

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[heavy_industry]

Can we cultivate the same sense of anticipation and joy for our entrepreneurial projects as we do for our leisure time?

Not only that we can. But we should.

Unless you're a genius, there is no F*cking way in hell you'll be able to excel at something if you're not 100% emotionally invested in that thing.

Business needs to permeate your dreams at night. It needs to always be on your mind.

That's how breakthrough ideas are happening.

---

Achieving this is relatively straightforward, but you need to understand a bit of neurology:

Humans will always take the path of least resistance. Our minds will always gravitate toward the most entertaining and low-effort thing available to us.

Throw away all the bullshit entertainment that provides you with cheap dopamine, and make your life as boring and as dull as possible.

Business needs to be the most entertaining and exciting thing in your life. This should be your primary source of fun in life.

It takes about 3 weeks for your brain to adapt, but if you do this properly, you will become addicted to work. Once this happens, there is no more stopping.

You won't even care about the end result ($$$), you'll just want to keep working.

---

Work-life balance is for idiots who don't understand how the mammalian reward circuitry works in the brain.

Working hard, just like lifting weights, should be very fun - in spite of the level of difficulty involved.

 

[Paul David]

Not only that we can. But we should.

Unless you're a genius, there is no F*cking way in hell you'll be able to excel at something if you're not 100% emotionally invested in that thing.

Business needs to permeate your dreams at night. It needs to always be on your mind.

That's how breakthrough ideas are happening.

---

Achieving this is relatively straightforward, but you need to understand a bit of neurology:

Humans will always take the path of least resistance. Our minds will always gravitate toward the most entertaining and low-effort thing available to us.

Throw away all the bullshit entertainment that provides you with cheap dopamine, and make your life as boring and as dull as possible.

Business needs to be the most entertaining and exciting thing in your life. This should be your primary source of fun in life.

It takes about 3 weeks for your brain to adapt, but if you do this properly, you will become addicted to work. Once this happens, there is no more stopping.

You won't even care about the end result ($$$), you'll just want to keep working.

---

Work-life balance is for idiots who don't understand how the mammalian reward circuitry works in the brain.

Working hard, just like lifting weights, should be very fun - in spite of the level of difficulty involved.

Yes this is the exact state I'm referring to. So you believe this can be done no matter what the task is? And that even though it might not be fun at the start over time with enough repetition aided with cutting out all other dopamine does it?

I'm assuming cheap dopamine you're referring to watching TV, eating junk food, drinking alcohol, scouring social media.

 

[heavy_industry]

So you believe this can be done no matter what the task is?

Yes my friend, you can develop a passion for scraping dog shit off the ground.

Your brain doesn't care. As long as you know which buttons to press in order to trigger this effect, you will have unlimited motivation to do anything you want.

Learning how to motivate yourself on demand is a skill that takes years to master. But I don't think you can be successful if you don't know how to do this.

If you're interested in this, do some research on the "flow" state.

I'm assuming cheap dopamine you're referring to watching TV, eating junk food, drinking alcohol, scouring social media.

I was primarily referring to digital entertainment that provides no benefits for your life.

Alcohol and junk food should be avoided regardless because they are poisonous.

 

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[Paul David]

Yes my friend, you can develop a passion for scraping dog shit off the ground.

Your brain doesn't care. As long as you know which buttons to press in order to trigger this effect, you will have unlimited motivation to do anything you want.

Learning how to motivate yourself on demand is a skill that takes years to master. But I don't think you can be successful if you don't know how to do this.

If you're interested in this, do some research on the "flow" state.


I was primarily referring to digital entertainment that provides no benefits for your life.

Alcohol and junk food should be avoided regardless because they are poisonous.

Thanks I'll check that out.

I know ultimately it's down to taking action that's going to create this but can you recommend any good books on the subject as I can download them on my kindle then read whilst on holiday next week.