Americans are proud about a handful of fundamental tenets that make America what it is:
Life.
Liberty.
The pursuit of happiness.
Along with these three biggies, the Declaration of Independence is loaded with other telling words about the values that shape our country. These words and concepts continue to drive a multitude of daily decisions for millions of citizens from sea to shining sea.
Independence is one of those words.
It All Starts in Bed
The idea of independence is undeniably powerful. Many children growing up in American homes have the importance of doing things ourselves drilled into our heads from a very young age, often starting with getting our own bed (or crib) as a small child or baby. That one move — which is not practiced in most cultures around the world who opt for a family bed — sets in motion a series of experiences that collectively emphasize the belief:
“The world’s tough, kid. Better learn now that you’re on your own, especially at night when it’s dark and scary.”
Add to that a school system that focuses on teaching to the test and achieving standards that can only be met by one individual, and the need to take care of ourselves first and foremost, or else suffer the consequences, is reinforced to the nth degree.
Kicked out of the nest from the start, and placed in a school system that rewards individual over collective achievement, many of us learn how to be independent and self-reliant early on, skills that are critical for survival in a dog-eat-dog world.
But.
Going it alone has its limits, especially in business.
If Steve Jobs Can Do It…
Apple wouldn’t be Apple had Steve Jobs, known to be fiercely self-reliant and a loner, had insisted he could do it all himself. Just imagine for a second how different our world would be today had Mr. Jobs insisted he could build Apple without any help.
It just couldn’t have happened.
Which is why nothing short of a natural disaster will destroy your business venture faster than the following 5 word sentence:
[su_quote cite=””]I can do it myself.[/su_quote]
Before I go any further, let me make it clear that I’m all for the do-it-yourself approach to many things if the impulse is in you. Assembling a side table from IKEA. Making blueberry pancakes from scratch on Sunday morning. Creating an original birthday card with crayons and blank paper.
These are just a handful of things that honestly bring people joy.
But DIY doesn’t work so well when building a business. Indeed, to be successful in business, we need to connect and collaborate and delegate.
We need to rely on other people who have skills and strengths that complement our own.
We need to be self-confident enough to recognize that the only path to achieving anything great is walked on with a team.
Yet the pull to do things ourselves remains strong, constantly clashing with what the world of business demands of us:
- That we set our individual needs aside for the good of the organization or venture.
- That we contribute to a greater whole rather than try to be the greater whole ourselves.
- That if we choose to become an entrepreneur, we then have to do everything ourselves since all too often funding is limited and there’s always sooooo much work to do and besides, no one else could do it as well as we can, right?
Letting Go = Letting In
Whether we work for ourselves or for someone else, the battle so many of us face in a global marketplace is being able to maintain our sense of independence while working collectively for that greater good.
The sooner we can train ourselves to let go of the (nearly) innate belief that if we don’t do something ourselves, if we aren’t in control of every task, decision, and project then nothing will ever get done and inevitably lead to chaos…
…the sooner we will start to see results beyond our wildest dreams, not to mention actually have a quality of life we genuinely like.
Yes, we can do many things ourselves. But that doesn’t mean that we have to.
Or that we should.
