"Jesus Who?" Said the Priest: Angel Investors and Founders Missing What Really Matters
"Jesus Who?" Said the Priest: Angel Investors and Founders Missing What Really Matters
#88 Angelinvesting.it - From idea to Series A - Weekly Newsletter
3 minutes to reflect
Ever get so caught up in the "how" that you forget the "why"?
Picture this: a church brimming with wedding guests. The ceremony's over, and everyone's ready to party. But here's the kicker – it's pouring rain outside. Not just a drizzle, mind you, but a proper downpour.
The newlyweds, desperate times calling for desperate measures, make a beeline for the priest. They put on their best puppy dog eyes and ask, pretty please with a cherry on top, if they can host a tiny reception in the church. You know, just in the back, where it won't bother anyone.
Our good-hearted padre, albeit reluctantly, gives them the green light. After all, they promised it'd be lowkey – a smidge of music, a morsel of food, maybe a tune or two.
Fast forward a bit, and the priest's sidekick is perched up in the rafters, watching his boss lose his marbles. Because, surprise surprise, the wine's flowing like the Amazon, the music's cranked to eleven, and there's enough grub to feed an army.
The padre is fuming! His assistant, trying to chill him out, reminds him Jesus was quite the party-goer himself according to new testament. The priest snaps back, "Yeah, but not where we do the holy stuff!"
Talk about missing the point. This padre's so fixated on where the sacraments happen, he's forgotten who makes the place holy in the first place. Spoiler alert: it's Jesus, not the rituals.
Sounds familiar? I see founders pulling the same stunt. They're so busy chasing investor cash, they forget why they started their business. Hint: it wasn't to become professional fundraisers.
And don't get me started on some angels. They're nitpicking over contract clauses and who else is in the deal, while ignoring the holy trinity of investing:
How big can this thing get?
Why these folks?
Why now?
Bottom line: Don't let the tools become the job. Whether you're blessing souls or building unicorns, keep your eyes on the prize. The how matters, sure, but it's the why that makes it holy.
2 resources to advance to pro
A thought-provoking book you will end up reading and rereading.
The priest story is one of several anecdotes narrated in a book about meditation like no other. The way concepts are phrased, the contrarian take on the philosophy of life, makes this book a highly recommended reading from your dearest.
Don't get me wrong - getting lost in what you do is not always bad.
In his famous book "Flow," psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's renowned investigations of "optimal experience" have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called "flow." Flow state is the art of balance between challenging yourself with something that is difficult enough not to bore us, but not too difficult to discourage. When you are in flow, things happen without you realizing it.
Check it out a 10 minutes Ted video worth watching
1 reason to smile
Choose your hard.
Have a great weekend,
Simone