As a Christian who runs a startup, there is the tendency of introducing and mixing religion with your everyday activities. And one of such is taking rest. By no means should anyone say rest is an issue but it will become one when you make a quote like the one found in the book of Hebrew 4:4 - for somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this way: And on the seventh day God rested from all His works. (Holman Christian Bible)
Well, that is so true that God rested on the seventh day, in fact, that scripture was first written in the first book of the Bible, that is, Genesis 2:2
And on the seventh day, God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
If you read that right, it says God rested from all his work which he had made. That simply tells us something, He was working on something. He was building something as a startup so he could ship it as fast as He could, and on the 6th day He was done, and good for shipping to the users. Only then could He take that rest. So, it wasn't a concocted rest from nowhere or as a result of being jobless or probably tired from overwork.
Now, as a startup founder before you take that rest because you are burned out or tired, ask yourself; do you have a product yet? If the answer is no, go get some energy from wherever you could and get back to work. And the rest here does not mean you should not take the necessary 5 to 30 minutes break you probably need to refresh and for invigoration.
Reading from the book of Genesis from the first chapter, you will notice how God worked all through each day with a goal in mind and for that day, there was always an advancement towards that goal and in verses 31, He said:
And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.
Now, we write this for all startups especially the Christians. Don't allow religion short changed you of what your startup could be that it couldn't because you are resting too much, you are sleeping too much or just wishing and hoping too much.
How To Stay Motivated Until You Have Delivered On That Product
We have outlined 5 things you can do to help you stay on top of your game as a startup founder so you can deliver what you promised yourself, your employees (if you have any) and everyone else.
Of course, there are more things you can do to stay motivated, to be 100% productive and deliver a great market fit product. But we have selected these 6 to start with:
Talk to the Holy Spirit: as a Christian, you can't neglect this part of your life, you can't just go on without the help of the God's Spirit (John 16:13). Jesus said the Spirit will guide us into all truth. And in this case, He will guide you into all truth in your startup. This should be the advantage you have over those who are not born again and filled with the Spirit of God. Isaiah 30:21
Have a purpose: Startup is fun and exhilarating especially when the cash is coming in. What sets great company far apart from the good ones is their purpose and in this purpose lies the vision and mission of the startup. This is what keeps them waking up and keep going even when the going gets tough. Do you have a purpose?
What kind of enterprise do I need to build: You must decide from the very beginning what kind of enterprise you want to build. Do you just want to be in the game for the game sake or you want to dominate? If you don't know what kind of enterprise you want to build, you may not know when the market game changes because it always does. A good one will be the Blackberry and the iPhone. You can tell who has a better strategy because they know what they want to build. Here are some of the things said by Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs - Apple's Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone on Jan. 9, 2007, calling it a "revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone. "Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone ... We want to make a leapfrog product that is way smarter than any mobile device has ever been and super easy to use."
Refuse to play small: It is what it is: don't play small. It is that simple! It takes the same amount of energy to play big as well. So, why not play big all the way? Decide to be the best. Not number 2. If you are not number one, strive to be.
Run away from toxic people: And this includes your leader in the church. Yes! I said it. If your leader talks you down or keeps trying to make you small or he brings up the issue of impossibility when it comes to running your startup, run away. Get rid of anyone who will spoil your good heart. Don't forget, out of your heart flows rivers of living waters.
Be self-motivated: Nobody will do this for you. Everybody is busy building their own lives, don't go add to it. And this is not negating the place of mentors and advisors. But after all their effort and best advice, you need to get your butt down and work the work.
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