Set An Intention In Your Startup Practice
I’ve been spending a lot more time on the yoga mat than I have in the past. According to Class Pass, I’ve been to seven classes this year already and the year’s only just begun. I’ve started to notice more routines in class and one that I especially believe should be applied to startups and entrepreneurship in general: setting an intention.
If you haven’t practiced yoga before, setting an intention acts like a metaphor transcending your practice off your mat and into your personal life. At the beginning of class, the teacher asks us, the students, to bring our hands to our chests, bow our heads and “set your intention for the day.” An intention is an act of bringing your attention to a quality or virtue. Intentions can be complicated. It certainly isn’t limited to simply trying to survive the (sometimes strenuous) hour-long class. Examples of virtues might include:
- Gratitude
- Patience
- Inner strength
- Truth
- Love
- Peace
At the close of the class, the teacher brings our focus back to our original intention. I usually attend hot power flow yoga which often leaves my mat looking like a sweat-soaked sponge. But no matter how sweaty or sore I am at the end of the practice I leave thinking positively. The intention heightens my sense of awareness by blending yoga with my lifestyle outside of the studio.
Over 90% of startups fail. Most fail due to premature scaling and bringing a product to market that people don’t actually want but I also believe it’s worthy to consider the lack of impact the founder and startup initially intend to have on society. Setting an intention in harmony with brainstorming ideas will motivate you to lead a more mindful and intentional startup. Blend the startup with your own life. Some examples of startup intentions:
- Help people
- Solve real problems
- Let go of vanity metrics
- Detachment
- Sacrifice more (or less)
- Seek advice
According to Deepak Chopra, “intention is the starting point of every dream.” To many founders, a successful startup is the dream. So follow the path of virtue as you begin your practice and your dream will mirror your intention.
