UNCONDITIONAL FRIENDS = INTEGRATED LIFE
As a business owner, part of living an integrated life includes your unconditional friends.
These are the friends that have your back and you have theirs. They’ve seen you do your best and your worst—and they don’t blackmail you about it!
What happens to that friendship when you become an entrepreneur? They may not get it. Especially if your friends are not entrepreneurs.
Here are some friendship obstacles you may deal with as you succeed in your business:
They Can’t Relate.Your whole life is your business. Since your livelihood is tied up in whether the business succeeds or fails, there are headaches and pressures that your friends with traditional jobs don’t deal with. You may have a “why NOT do that?” mindset that your non-entrepreneurial friends don’t understand.
Are You Cocky or Confident? As an entrepreneur, you MUST have confidence in yourself and your abilities—because if you don’t, no one else will either. This necessary confidence may come off as an ego trip, narcissistic or egotistical. Maybe even cocky. Let’s be honest. We are often the center of attention whether we want to be or not.
They Feel Intimidated. Entrepreneurs are very introspective. They know who they are, where they want to go, and they have an aggressive plan to get there no matter what it costs. That can be intimidating for non-entrepreneur friends, especially those you’ve known a long time.
Foster that Friendship
The key to maintaining relationships with your unconditional friends boils down to time. Schedule it. Take trips together, cheer on your favorite sports team, or get hammered.
An unconditional friend is not defined by proximity. Even if you can only see your friend once a year, your history lets you catch up as if no time has passed.
As your business grows, you will develop additional unconditional friendships with peers, like-minded entrepreneurs or clients. Adding these friendship circles to your life make it all the richer, and contribute to living a happy, healthy and integrated life.
How have unconditional friends impacted your life and your business? Share with us on Facebook and Instagram!