Family

Endowment

Leaving a legacy seems to motivate those who feel called to change the world. This leads to prolific focus and lasting ambition, but the psychological undertones are real.

A subconscious need to be loved, trying to counter death anxiety, and equating our legacy to symbolic immortality can slip toward self-centered intentions. A decorated life is legendary to the person living it, but a dilated ego becomes burdensome. This mental weight holds us back from living in the moment. It belittles simple pleasures. It fuels a fear of failure and disguises invigorating initiative by equating movement to risk. When the idea of leaving a legacy starts to echo a desire to be famous, impossible expectations harbor misery and unavoidable disappointment.

The entrepreneurial lifestyle is guided by leaders who create more than we consume, but there is freedom for those who are not engrossed by the hope of being remembered. This may feel like an assault on the significant impact we make or a wicked invitation to be complacent, but it’s not. It’s forgiveness and a liberating release to keep building.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Love Letters

“Dedicated to my co-founder in life and our startup that pays in love.”

Cheers to the love of our lives. This opening dedication in You Don’t Need This Book: Entrepreneurship in the Connected Era is fixed on the fact that significant others are elemental to an entrepreneurial lifestyle.

When so much is poured into something we care about, it brings everyone along for the ride. This makes success fun to share, but when dips emerge, tension will test the best of us. Many families build love triangles, but partners building in completely different realms is just as familiar. Loved ones may not understand all that’s surging through each other’s ambitious adventure, but when trust is minted, healthy individuality allows each person to achieve more through a shared appetite for risk.

A < H

To visualize how trust creates exponential opportunity, put your hands together. First, make an “A”. Each hand represents one partner. When relationships are built in the shape of an A, the constant contact actually becomes a limitation. The centering line of trust is established, but the top point limits how far each line can be extended.

Now, use your hands and make an “H”. The center line of trust remains, but there’s now space for individuality. Each of the two horizontal lines can continue to grow beyond what would have been possible alone. Individuality can feel apathetic, but when two people trust each other enough to build their own neon future, a brilliant fabric is set free to shine. This fabric can also become unbreakable, as threads of purpose are woven together with everlasting love.

Risk Appetite

Even with loving individuality sustained by trust, a shared appetite for risk still correlates through the environment, engaged networks, and what our partners provide. The quiet truth is that if there’s a singular source of income, stability is paramount. If there are multiple sources of income, there can be more comfort in the unknowns that come with building something new. Our current situation will always present limitations, but can we produce when others consume? Will we continue shifting gears to keep building without a map?

If such a calling brings you to life, what can we do to increase a shared appetite for risk? If work/life balance is an illusion reserved for the status quo, perhaps peace awaits those who encourage the latest creative season pf their forever friend. Setting an example of unselfish support can translate into positive momentum that benefits our partners, while also adding fresh space for our own exploration. The loving leash is lengthened as each partner delivers on promises (or quit the right things, at the right time) and the strengthened trust brews more freedom to flex.

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I am nothing without the love we share.

Before we ink this tribute to those who support us, let’s play with a paradox. Does everyone have an entrepreneurial spirit? It’s easy to say yes, but my favorite response considers the trust-based privilege of inviting strategic risk. In short, we may all have a creative spirit. When an appetite for risk is applied, the innovative spirit gets stirred into a delicious recipe that can be tasted with endless variety. It’s students tinkering with no permission required. It’s indispensable intrapreneurs fueling positive change in existing companies. It’s the side hustles that evolve a leader’s diversified career portfolio and the founders willing to solve problems with pain-killing solutions. While lone wolves build capacity to explore their own uncertainties, exponential opportunity await the team that builds with a shared vision.

Humans seek purpose, peace, and happiness. The family we choose influences our own path toward career nirvana. Be kind to yourself by choosing a partner wisely, then be your best knowing that when the credits roll on a life well-lived, our loved ones will be first, last, and all that’s in between.

By Ben McDougal, ago

First Steps

Watching toddlers learn to walk is adorable. This right of passage also reminds us how fresh motivation may be needed when progress seems to stall.

At first, early moves felt natural and crawling has done the job. As children see what’s possible, expectations are raised. With parental guidance, promising signs are filled with excitement and success feels within reach. Time passes though, and sometimes that loving motivation can lose its luster. Progress stalls and concern can start to brew, but what if the breakthrough is just waiting for a fresh source of encouragement? Even when it’s on accident, as new motivation is introduced, almost all at once, progress proceeds. We scramble for the camcorder and those precious first steps are enjoyed by all. Six more weeks of practice is needed, but this achievement renews momentum that keeps our little ones moving forward.

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For parents smiling as they read this, know that Pure Wonder, #1 DAD, Winding Whys, Training Wheels, Playforce, Santa is Real, and many of the emerging episodes from You Don’t Need This Podcast are just as fun!

For students, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs building around new ideas, the dance with innovation may also require shifting gears once in awhile. Next time an engine stalls, step back to consider that alternate angle, talk to peers with different perspectives, take a little time away, or show up unannounced to adapt and get back in business.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Totality

I sit atop this hill, soaking in the darkness of a lunar eclipse, reflecting to celebrate another trip around the Sun. As our pale blue dot moved between the moon and our closest star, I first noticed the moving shadow’s blurry edge. As I think about the time we spend on Earth, so much is devoted to finding our place in the universe. Even when we feel alignment, the blur of distractions will remain constant.

Anticipation takes over as the final sliver of moonlight goes dark. The orange haze of this blood moon is now the only cloud in the sky. The twinkling stars seem to serenade the silence of this moment. As the darkness holds time still, an eerie peacefulness is accompanied by welcomed loneliness. My thoughts sync into the shadow of this cosmic darkness. It became useless to resist the overwhelming appreciation I have for so many people who have given my life meaning.

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Jodie and Kate, you are the light of my life and my own totality. Together, you set me free and have taught me the meaning of life. My greatest achievement will always be us. I look forward to more of our story being written, but whenever I do turn my final page, know that I’ll always be with you and wouldn’t have changed a single thing.

Within the darkness of totality, I’m soon struck by the discomfort I feel, not knowing when the moonlight may return. We’ve all heard how dark it is before the dawn, yet it still feels natural to consider things that have not gone to plan. Accepting past failures, broken relationships, and future challenges was not an expected emotion, but perspective determines how we respond. I’m thankful that it’s hard to think of anyone who may need to hear this, but if I’ve ever wronged you in anyway, I want to say that I am sorry and only wish the best for you.

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Perhaps a transitory quest for totality is the impossible pursuit that gives us meaning?

As the first sliver of moonlight returns, eminence joy and assuring enthusiasm seemed to rush over my mind and body. It was as if the light of our cherished moon had never been brighter. The subsiding shadow of our planet slowly released moonlight back into the night sky, which lit renewed optimism for all that is still to come. As the moon shown brighter than ever, so will my appreciation for all that we share. Now and forever, thank you.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Wayfinders

Startups that pay in love are a blank
canvas that comes to life through us.

By nature, parents want to provide the means for children to go beyond their potential. Family requires immeasurable resources, but the love from our kids unlocks more hours in the day. The added productivity comes from seeing the best of ourselves in someone we care so much about. Purpose is renewed and the heart we put into our creative work can make our presence as parents even more interesting.

Summon Stories

Children grow up fast, so we stay in the moment. Everyone tells us to cherish the simple joys of life, but it may be worth getting a little extra creative. One way to enhance your family’s ability to relive memorable moments, is by using multimedia marketing skills to summon family stories.

Every moment is special. As creation becomes second nature, handpicked memories can be stitched together to revisit interactively, any time, with or without you.

Most of us have an endless collection of photos and video on our smartphone, but scrolling around on a digital device doesn’t translate into something a group can enjoy together. It’s easy for good things to get lost in so much noise and spoken storytelling is always merry too, but why not paint more stories with a few added brushes?

Quiet relics like photo slideshows, something printed that sits beautifully on the shelf, a mix of audio recordings, art on the wall, or a cinematic feature film that highlights your adventures. You’re the creator with endless ways to create.

We all do a form of this, because family is our favorite, but the time required is real. A rigid cadence is not required, since any day is a good day to ship this type of of art. In the early days of photos and video, it was only birthdays and Christmas — now everyday is a holiday. No need to rush, but keep producing new surprises. Everyone will love the end result and as more come together, the growing playlist becomes a sequence of stories that follow kids growing up. With our constant collection of content, a good story is always ready to tell, but at a minimum, why not share an annual gift with your kids, partner, and other loved ones?

Along the way, attentive and controlled organization will make a growing collection of relics easier to craft. This takes an ongoing commitment, but file management is easy and helps bring life to life with shared memories.

Your future self will then thank you for an effort to organize this heartfelt content. Share in public if you want, but that can alter the art if it becomes a show. Do it for yourself and your favorite people first. Organize what will be a massive library offline, then, if you want play with the transitory channels of social media, that’s a personal choice.

No matter who resists whatever it may be, time compiling legacy projects will rarely feel wasted. It’s using our real skills to commemorate those we love. Scanned memories may give us content without capturing it in the future. For now, it’s up to us to trap time for personal storytelling.

Compensation is not money, but this does enhance your content creation skills for other areas in life. Technology also makes editing content more productive, but this is not your average task. This is the type of sincere storytelling you enjoy spending time with.

As kids grow up, these projects will have the lowest view counts, but always be your very favorite. Looking ahead, it’s crazy to imagine being a child right now, then receiving such a gift from my parents someday!

You’ve Got Mail

Consider setting up an email for your little one. This inbox can be used as a communication channel to write to your child as they grow up. Whether you start writing before they are born or later in their life, imagine what a gift this inbox will be in the future! This email address can be shared with family and used for online accounts if you want, but at a minimum, this curates a personalized time machine full of thoughtful updates.

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What’s your favorite parenting tip? Share it as a comment or hit me up!

Along with sentimental content, your kids will appreciate an email address that can be used after childhood. First and last name with your preferred email provider should stand the test of time. This is also a good chance to register a URL using their first and last name. This can connect to their email or support a personal website someday.

Avoid Routine

“Time flies” and “they grow up so fast” is accurate, but avoiding routine may slow down time.

The freedom to be spontaneous is a privilege and everyone will define such flexibility differently, but a proven path to explore such a reality is entrepreneurship. Boundless hard work, dedication, and resiliency are what this lifestyle takes, but suffering provides a stronger sense of purpose.

As this purpose is layered in later stages of life, experiential wisdom can be channeled into more treasured time doing things that make us happy. While hardship is part of the deal, children make their parents happy. Perhaps a reward for parents who lead by example, is the opportunity to share everything with those who matter most.

By Ben McDougal, ago