Golf is "a thing" for me (not a very good one mind you), watching sports is "a thing", reading books is "a thing" and until this past week ServiceVines was just "a thing". What I've found out in a short amount of time is there is a lot of difference between something being "a thing" and "The thing". It's much more than what you do from 8-5 now, it becomes an all consuming effort.
I know a lot of startup guys who, like me, are trying "a thing". That's probably the prudent and smart thing to do, the only problem with your startup being "a thing" is that "The Thing" gets all your attention and you do the startup thing as you have free cycles. That works great when the startup doesn't have product, customers or traction, it's the right approach. However, there comes a day that there is a fork in the road. A time to decide should "a thing" become "The Thing".
What's been amazing to me is the mental shift of moving to ServiceVines. You see, when I wake up (and while dreaming) every free thought is consumed on how to move the needle at ServiceVines. I think about it on the way to the office, on the way home from the office, at lunch and in the shower. When it was just "a thing" it was something I had to make time for, or only got a few cycles of thought on occasion. Each time I would sit down to work on it I'd have to remember where I had left off, what needed to be done and how it could get done. By the time I had figured all that out, it was time to stop and go back to "The Thing".
The other side of making something "The Thing" is the enormous self pressure that comes with it. I had the opportunity to discuss with a few founders this week about what it's like to do a startup full time, well it's harder than you imagine. There are investors, customers, and employees who all are counting on you to make this happen for them. You have to look yourself in the mirror every day and ask "can I do this?". The startup lives or dies based on what actions you take which is both exciting and overwhelming.
In every area of life you can only have one "The Thing". One significant other, one job, one home, one faith, one dream. Everything else are things that you do but without the same vigor, effort and gusto.
In the end, my new "The thing" a growth opportunity, a chance to take a new step, to build something. We don't have a cast society here, you can dream, rise above your lot in life, plan and execute goals in America. I'm excited for my new "The Thing" now.
I'm building a startup called ServiceVines. I live far out from civilization and like it. I get really too excited over tech, economics, and food.