SYLVANUS URBAN Sylvanus Urban - "The Energy Issue " | Page 6

Full Disclosure.
I’m exhausted.
Let me rewind a little. The other day something bizarre happened.
I was getting myself prepared to work on a particular project that I had
been avoiding with intense vigor, not because I wasn’t excited to do it (I
wasn’t), but I knew it was going to absorb a significant amount of focus
and creativity. That wasn’t the real surprise though since procrastination
is no stranger in my bed.
I make an effort to set myself up for success, with rituals that involve
chugging espressos, thoughtfully arranging my post-it notes by colour
and frequently refreshing my favourite tabloid site (someone is almost
definitely maybe having twins again!). But that day, instead of feeling
creatively charged, I took a nap. A long nap. The kind of nap where
you wouldn’t be surprised if the leaves had changed colour by the time
your eyes finally opened again. After casually wiping the drool that had
made itself at home in the corner of my lips, I got to thinking:
What is the most important trait of an entrepreneur?
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Some people would argue it’s sales (those people would, of course,
be salesmen). Others might say it’s strategy or having an established
network, or maybe just being the most competitive asshat in the room.
Sure, these are all important, but to me it’s clear that an entrepreneur’s
success comes down to their energy.
The plain truth is that getting anything done in the business world
(or life in general) is damn hard. Often faced with limited resources,
entrepreneurs need to have an almost instinctive ability to know when
energy needs to be used, saved, changed or moved. If I remember
anything from seventh-grade science, it’s that energy can neither be
created nor destroyed (neat, right?!). The successful entrepreneur is
guided by this timeless wisdom, stewarding their supply of energy and
aiming it where they know it’ll make the most impact. Nobody tells them
to write an e-mail when they're not feeling the 100% emoji. Nobody tells
them when to fire a client because they are energy-draining. Nobody
wakes them up from a mid-afternoon snooze.
Entrepreneurs are wired differently. They have a fire inside. They
are lit.
Could they make subtle changes to their lifestyle that would
improve their abilities? Sure! Are they magnesium deficient? Definitely
feels like it. But I'm not your mom, and this issue isn't a checklist of how
to have more energy. This is a 64-page reflection on the passion, time
and drive it takes to see a complex, and at times frustrating, task come
to fruition. It’s about the people who’ve struggled to make their passion
their reality. In that vein, every issue of this magazine is the "energy"
issue.
I might still need a magnesium supplement, but I’m proud of what
my team and I have produced: another engaging issue of Sylvanus
Urban for your enjoyment. But like any candle in the real world, even the
most successful entrepreneur can’t always stay lit. Now if you’ll excuse
me, I have a season-long nap to attend to.
The Energy Issue
S y l v a n u s - Ur b a n . c o m