Chapman

I’m a weathered business man. I found out this weekend. I was sent a financial breakdown authored by two soon-to-be budding millionaires. No doubt visions of designer suits, briefcases, meetings and first-class flights fill their heads. I know, I’ve been there. 

Everything is bigger than life in the beginning. 

These two guys budgeted in $1,000 for office chairs. How many employees? Two. Now, in all fairness, the chairs would be a tax write off; however, perhaps I’ve learned a bit of “reality” during this last contract we’ve had.

In the beginning, all that one’s company exists as is a handful of business cards. As it buds and develops it takes root, and the roots ground one’s thinking. The company takes shape and starts to accumulate, what I call, substance. It becomes so much more than just the facade of business, the facade you so desperately are excited to mimic in the beginning, through the chairs and checks and business phone plans.

“Should my business cards say, ‘Owner’ or ‘Founder’,” I remember asking.

Well, I’m happy to say that the roller-coaster ride never slows nor loses its excitement - yet, at the same time it gives perspective, vision, and the irreplaceable ‘experience.’ It reminds me of a quote I used in my champion extemporaneous-commentary that I took state with my senior year.

You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know. Rene Daumal

Running and owning a company that will make it or break it based on your merits alone offers insight into oneself that, I’ve found, is hard to gain elsewhere.

All this talk brings one to a few questions about the manner of life one ought to live, or, the good life. This topic is touched on in the audio clip below. If you’re interested in the whole clip, let me know in the comments. Also, I’d be interested to know what you think as pertaining to the good life as described in the audio. Leave your thoughts in the comments.