Easing into the Year: It’s a Marathon, not a Sprint

I suspect that many of us in the first week of 2023 are still feeling groggy from too much food and sleep over the Christmas and new years break, just like a bear coming out from hibernation after the winter. 

I used to feel really guilty for taking a break and not working during the holidays. And I used to really feel guilty and behind, especially for not jumping right back into things on January 2nd.  I was always terrified of being behind and needing to get a lead over everyone else. 

I actually think this paranoia and work ethic is important especially in your younger years as you are trying to get established. Let’s be honest, in your younger years, you have no idea what you are doing, so you have to over compensate with plain hard work and brute force while you try everything and learn what does not work. 

But with time, age, experience and hopefully some track record of success and the reputation and personal brand that comes along with that you can afford to chill a little bit. To Step back and observe. Be more strategic and smarter.  

Yet I still catch myself, worried that I am not doing enough. That I am falling behind. I worry about the things that kill the effectiveness of venture investors: age, complacency and overconfidence, maybe even arrogance. I’m terrified about losing my edge and that drives my paranoia and my uneasiness when I am inactive. 

But I remind myself about the Abraham Lincoln quote (or at least ascribed to him): “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

And it makes sense, you have to mentally and physically prepare yourself as you jump back into the fray. As Louis Pasteur said: “Chance favors only the prepared mind.”

I anticipate that the rest of this year will be crazy busy, manic even. I have lots of investments to make, some fundraising to do, plenty of startup mentoring to do and a bunch of tech conferences to speak at. This is on top of writing and all the various personal projects I’m always involved in. 

So better to take the time in January to ease into the year. I need to take my time while I have a relatively empty calendar. Precious time to get myself physically fit & healthy, get my family life sorted as well as it can be and get myself mentally prepared for action. I suggest that you all do the same. I suspect it is going to be a wild and nutty 2023 so we will need as much edge as we can possibly get. LFG: Let’s F-cking Go!