The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 70 Degrees
How often is it that you hear business legends being described as “lazy?”
Isn’t that the exact opposite of what it’s supposed to mean to be an entrepreneur?
Aren’t entrepreneurs supposed to burn the midnight oil, do whatever it takes to succeed, jump headfirst into the grime and the grit and (through sheer will power) overcome their challenges?
That makes for a good story, I suppose, but in reality, it’s darn tiring. And hardly sustainable without other things blowing up.
The fact is, working hard is simply too easy. It’s what you do when you can’t think of something better to do. The work is always there. And being busy has this siren like quality of making you feel like you’re actually valuable. But the bar is low to qualify for busy. Anyone with a heartbeat qualifies.
That’s why so many business people are so busy and have so little to show for it. They’ve gotten caught up in the busy trap and decided to spend their time doing the work because it was right in front of them.
Your time, focus and attention are about the most valuable assets you have in this world. So what happens if you upgrade the qualifications required before you commit any of those resources?
Is there virtue in being lazy? I think it depends on what you mean by lazy. Pick the right kind of “lazy” and it may very well be the smartest decision you ever make.
For the two entrepreneurs in this article, it seems like committing to “lazy” was the best thing they ever did.