One entrepreneur decides to challenge the stereotypes about how his brain works, poke fun at some ridiculous memes, and stop chasing squirrels.
—
I was busy doing entrepreneur things today and then it happened—the first distraction.
Chasing Shiny Blue Balls
You probably think that distractions are “entrepreneur things.” We’ve all heard the memes about successful entrepreneurs having to be visionaries with their heads in the clouds, highly driven but easily distracted, wearing 20 hats at once and taking crazy risks. Some people then label themselves as ADD & ADHD. Others even go so far as to say that entrepreneurs have to be a little bit out there to be able to succeed. (Admit it, you just thought of the quote that Steve Jobs made famous; “Here’s to the crazy ones …” That’s a meme too.)
Stereotypes like this are dangerous for entrepreneurs, especially start-ups. They exaggerate qualities and experiences that may be part of the road, but are often harmful because they don’t encourage the real success factors that are needed.
Ironically, I got the idea for this article by briefly chasing a squirrel. It all started with a conversation about one of the most dangerous stereotypes in the form of an internet meme.
The Man-Flu
Definition: An illness that causes the male of the species to be helpless and sicker than any other family member. In females; a cold.
Yeah, that’s the squirrel, I mean meme, that I was chasing. I don’t know about you, but as a man, I am picturing this man-flu virus thing as a black widow spider.
It is a good thing that stereotypes are always so accurate, or we would have to ask important questions.
|
It is definitely harmful to males. Men are encouraged to admit a little weakness and BAM! It is over. You are the laughing stock of the Internet. It is better to go to work sick and share it with your co-workers than to face this torment at your weakest moment. Or better yet, check into the hospital where they are at least trained to look like they care that you are dying.
Men, it is to be understood from this meme, are only strong outside of the home; working, hunting, gathering, and sportsing.
The sad thing then, if I read this meme right, is that women have to do it all. They work. They take care of the kids. If they are sick, they take care of the sick children; while sick. The only upside being that they might get a few days off work to look after the sick kids and quietly suffer. Real superhero martyrs.
It is a good thing that stereotypes are always so accurate or we would have to ask important questions, right? Like:
- Do I have a cold or the flu?
- Does this meme support active fatherhood?
- Does this meme encourage women to try to do it all?
- Or …
What’s For Dinner?
That qualifies as an “important question” doesn’t it? Should we have Italian, Greek or Chinese tonight?
Believe it or not, that question masks a whole set of cultural shortcuts that propagate misconceptions.
In the US and Canada, we categorize food choice by country of origin. That should be an obvious indicator that we are nations of immigrants. Technically this also makes any dishes we create derivatives of some other culture; think Tex-Mex or the buffet. Ultimately, we should be enormously grateful for all this choice.
Maybe we should be blaming our colonial roots for this dearth of great culinary culture instead of China and Mexico.
|
So we’ve reduced entire countries and cultures down to a food stereotype. Rather than religious or political beliefs, maybe we should only allow immigration if they bring new and fresh dining experiences with them.
Which brings up the bigger question; outside of the well-known chain restaurants, do people in Paris or Greece go out for American or Canadian food? If they do, is it an upscale dining experience or something you get for takeout?
There is so much to worry about and only so much time in the day to worry.
|
North Americans are not the only ones “suffering” like this. Outside of a pub, I’ve never been to an Irish or English restaurant. Maybe we should be blaming our colonial roots for this dearth of great culinary culture instead of China and Mexico.
Maybe when you are in the stereotyped group, you can’t see your defining qualities the same way outsiders can. It all seems normal. The thing is, there is almost always some truth in stereotypes, and that makes them dangerous for the impact they have on self-esteem and over-generalization.
Say No and Regain Focus
I mentioned I got distracted by a squirrel. What I did not share earlier was that I caught myself before it went too far. I lost maybe five minutes on that.
Saying no is important. Very few people are naturally serial entrepreneurs like Elon Musk or Richard Branson, and certainly not out of the gate. Saying no lets you focus on a few things and get some successes happening.
Here are a few tips to keep you away from shiny blue balls, squirrels, and internet memes that are potentially devastating to your self esteem and productivity.
You Won’t Always Win
The news and social media are bombarding us with problems and situations we used to ignore. We have new platforms to get our message out, reaching well beyond the guys at the office or coffee shop. So we share our thoughts with more people, and they share with us. We are way too busy to hear other people’s ideas.
You can’t sing along, full volume, to this song without shifting your mindset a little.
|
Let’s face it; you are probably always right. You were probably also mortally wronged in an online discussion because someone shared a meme that reflected poorly on a group you identify with. Sure, you could spend all day making sure you win the day or get an apology. But there is so much to worry about and only so much time in the day to worry.
One of the things I’ve learned over the years is to pick your battles. Rarely do you need to win at the expense of someone else.
Much of the time it is better to acknowledge a point of view and ask clarifying questions. The answers to those questions will not only help you understand what is motivating the other person, but they will also give you some insight into whether or not you will ever come to any agreement at all.
And if you’ve done that and you sense you are getting upset or overly attached to your insightful points or the injustices made against you … let it go.
Let It Go
I could have said take a timeout, but then you would be just seething about the situation and planning your next angle of attack on Facebook. Doing something active changes everything. So here’s something you can do that works for me every time. You can’t sing along, full volume, to this song without shifting your mindset a little.
If you think you are too adulty to sing along like some young kid to a children’s movie song, just remember what you were doing before you needed to take that “timeout.”
So sing. I dare you. Repeat as necessary.
Stay focused and smash those pesky stereotypes that we are encouraged to believe, but which actually hold us back.
Image Credits: Top – Getty Images and Bottom Video – YouTube