The Masochist Entrepreneur
Today Matt Nye, our lead programmer at Bouncehost suggested that I may be a masochist. I have heard the term before but never actually took the time to realize how much this term actually fits me.
mas·och·ism n.
1. The deriving of sexual gratification, or the tendency to derive sexual gratification, from being physically or emotionally abused.
2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from being humiliated or mistreated, either by another or by oneself.
3. A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences.
Well, I can't say that I fit the description of the first that well. I rarely resort to handcuffs and maces during my late night escapades. However, the last two really do relate to me and my interpersonal relations in everyday life. I really do like what I do even though I could potentially be making a lot more money somewhere else. But, I have a strong tenancy to take a lot of shit before giving up on things. Is this a bad thing? I'm not sure. I definitely can end up screwing me over in the end, but it does build character and relationships when you show that you are willing to put up with people.
So what is the correlation here? I am going to conclude that entrepreneurs have a sense of masochism because we never give up. Lots of us fail many times before hitting it big. I believe a plethora of failures are a vital component of success. There was a book that was given to us at the national CEO conference in Chicago last year written by John L. Herman Jr. called Hermanisms. This book explained how all of Herman's failures led to success and he tells us how it is important to learn how to fail.
In addition, The Four Hour Workweek book by Timothy Ferriss also has a section that talks about how failure is sometimes overexaggerated. Tim talks about how it is important to look at the short and long-term impact of your decision that could result in failure relative to the short and long-term impact of your current situation and weigh the difference. Many people don't realize that they are already a 2 on a scale of 1-10 happiness and that quitting your job, travelling the world on your savings, and coming back to a bartending job will probably have a higher rating on both scales. Ferriss talks about how we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of doing what everyone else does and accepting the way other people judge happiness.
That is my rant for the evening!
