This post was written by Matt Douglas, Founder & CEO
The boarded up windows,
The empty streets
While my brother’s down on his knees
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Bruce Springsteen’s words have been haunting me over the last few days. It seems that everywhere I look, things are going badly for people I know. Some have lost their jobs in this horrible economy, others have lost their savings. In the past month, three people who are very close to me lost their beloved pets to sudden deaths. I personally know a few couples who are having marital problems, some of them with children in the mix. When I turn on the TV, there is bad news on almost every channel. And today the stock market lost another 300 points to close at levels not seen since 1996. It seems our cities and our world is in ruins.
Those who work on MyPunchbowl haven’t been immune to the ruins around us. We see it on the faces of our co-workers, we hear it when we interact with our customers, and we feel it as we talk to our partners. We all are experiencing tough times with lots of uncertainty about the future. As the CEO of Punchbowl Software, it’s been particularly hard for me over the last few weeks to keep my head up. I know that in my position that I shoulder the responsibility of making the right decisions for all of the stakeholders in our company. Ultimately these decisions will help the company succeed or fail in the long-run. I take this responsibility very seriously, and the right path is not always crystal clear. And sometimes, all of the pressure is just too much to bear. As my wife reminded me this weekend, this is why I need to get away from the office at least a few times a year. (Her real quote was “If people want to know why you need a few vacations a year, then tell them to try doing your job for a week.”)
I have spoken privately with many other startup CEO’s who feel the same way as I do. In many ways, we are all just trying to get through it, shouldering this quiet burden of responsibility. As I left the office on Friday of last week, I felt the burden more than ever. I know my colleagues saw it on my face, but not many of them know that the issues on the surface pale in comparison to the deeper feeling of burden. This weekend, I spent a lot of time de-compressing, and thought about how to get rid of the negativity. And the more I thought, the more I realized how simple it is. With all of the bad news around me, it’s easy to feel the way I do. Everyone else is negative and down, so I join right in. I’m following the pack, and taking the easy road. Well, enough is enough.
I am a natural contrarian, and I have never taken the easy road. Attitude is a choice, and as of right now, I’m officially rejecting negativity. It is time for me — and for all of us – to rise up above the bad news. Here is my 10 point plan for all of us to regain entrepreneurial optimism. Read it, feel it, and act it. It’s time for all of us to Rise Up.
- Be proud of what you’ve accomplished. The startup road is not an easy one, and only those who have gone down it know how hard it can be. Come on, rise up!
- Eat a good breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Take care of your health so you have energy to get through the hard times. Come on, rise up!
- Carry yourself with optimism and demand that others around you do the same. Things will get better, but only if we all believe it. Come on rise up!
- Set hard to reach goals and celebrate when you achieve them. Come on, rise up!
- Stop comparing yourself to everyone else. Do the best you can with the resources around you. Come on, rise up!
- Work hard when you are working, but take time to nurture your family and loved ones around you. Come on, rise up!
- Deal with problems as they come up, and try to solve them to the best of your ability. Come on, rise up!
- Reach out to someone around you in need. Perhaps you have a friend (or brother) who has lost his job. Come on, rise up!
- Schedule your next vacation. Just do it. Get it on the calendar so you have something to work towards. Come on, rise up!
- Reassure your colleagues that regardless of what happens, it’s going to be ok. We all need a shoulder to lean on once in a while. Come on, rise up!
We may be down, but it’s time to Rise Up. And with the soothing lyrics of Bruce Springsteen, I hope we can all find the inspiration.
Now with these hands,
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray Lord
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray for the faith, Lord
We pray for your love, Lord
We pray for the lost, Lord
We pray for this world, Lord
We pray for the strength, Lord
We pray for the strength, Lord
Come on
Come on
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up