“You are what you eat.” In one of my last posts I asserted that exercising seeps into your bones and makes you a proactive entrepreneur. Likewise, the food you eat fuels your body and energizes your soul. So, since entrepreneurs use their souls to build their creations, the food they eat may affect their entrepreneurial mindset.
Different types of diets may produce different styles of entrepreneurs. You might find the frequent caviar consumers spending large and constructing Trump towers. The southern BBQ & potato salad feasters may likely provide a familial community in their shops. If anyone has ever seen the salads I devour, then they’ll know that I eat pretty lean. And, of course, that might affect my approach to entrepreneurialism, as well.
Lately, we’ve heard Eric Ries-worshipping folk toss around the term “lean startup.” Well, if I eat lean, then you can bet I live and work lean too. Sweets, alcohol and nonessential fats don’t normally play a role in my diet. In fact, I view food like a business owner views her balance sheet; some foods are assets and others are liabilities to my body and growth. For example, I’ll scarf down plenty of fruits and veggies to keep my body sustainable, and I’ll portion out the carbs and protein so that my muscles can re-energize and grow.
Healthy foods = assets.
On the other hand, sweets and nonessential fats do little to keep me going and growing.
Non-healthy foods = liabilities.
Therefore, when I build something, I use the essentials to grow.
At times, I embody a fitness freak (just see my post on exercise and entrepreneurism). I might have some organic carrot stuck up my butt (figuratively speaking, of course), but that doesn’t mean I always play by the rules.
I enjoy my life, and life is an adventure. Taking risks and exploring makes the whole ride fun. I love to eat and explore new culinary creations. In fact, just last week I gorged on both a Fenton’s Black & Tan and Saddleback Brownie sundaes with no regrets whatsoever. (Could you ever regret something so decadent and oozingly delicious?) Likewise, I’ll party and throw down with my collaborators after a success. When it comes to life and food, as long as I’m exploring and soaking up the best as I grow, then I’m game. I take everything in moderation—including moderation.
Really, there are infinite ways to get to the top of a mountain, and my lean approach to eating and entrepreneurialism is just one of them. You shouldn’t feel ashamed when you sample that third scoop of gelato. Life is meant to be enjoyed. And, of course, I write about eating lean now as a recent college graduate with marginal income. Things might change. By age forty I might scarf down Space Twinkies and live the ponderous, entrepreneurial life. But the truism will still hold: the food I eat affects my entrepreneurial spirit. So, at least for me at this moment, I’m gonna make sure it’s the good stuff.
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