Whenever we start on a journey of creating or building something (like a business), we have clear ideas, convictions and motivations for what is ahead of us, where we'd like to go and what our ultimate goal or final destination is.
What we neglect to contemplate is what we pack to take with us on this journey and how that ultimately shapes our journey too.
When you start your business with co-founders, your experience will always be the average of your shared interests and values.
When you take on venture capital, it's hard to change course 18 months down the line when you've got 60 days of cash left and have only rejections from investors for a new round of funding.
Your skills, past learnings, experience and network are all things that you bring into this journey. Are these diverse or does it rigidly empower your bias? Does it make you flexible, resilient and agile or is it going to be limiting when the shit (eventually) hits the fan?
For yourself, it is important to know what your highest values are and how this journey relates to those. Having boundaries and guard rails in place before you start is helpful.
The thing about journeys are that the days are long, but the years are ultimately short. Before you realise, you find yourself somewhere along that journey reflecting on how you got there and trying to figure out where to next. Because few journeys go according to plan.
It is when you find yourself in those moments, that you'll benefit from having packed properly at the start of your journey.
When you know yourself intimately, you also know much more of the journey ahead of you.
This way, your journey - and entrepreneurship - shouldn't feel like jumping off a cliff and learning to build a plane on the way down. This mindset and acceptance of the status quo just creates unnecessary stress and anxiety.
Rather pack well and enjoy the journey.