So should yours.
If I'm honest, within the last 15-months of building Loopin, I wished on many occasions that I could be back on the frontline in a dusty ditch, fighting for my life in an enemy ambush, simply for some rest and recuperation.
That is pretty extreme, isn't it? Having the desire to go from the security of a nice office to the frontline of a war zone, all to escape the pressures.
That is how stressful it can get. And I am in the fortunate position to say I have experienced both the perils of war and run a business, able to make the comparisons.
It is also mildly ironic the number of people who have said to me, "well in business, at least people aren't trying to kill you", which I suppose is true. But the element of survival is ever-present. Someone trying to stick a bullet through your head is at the extreme end of survival. But what about the two children I have to feed each month, the car that we need in order to get around, and the mortgage that always needs paying. Placed alongside rising fuel costs, soaring energy bills, and the ever uncertain threat of both the UK and global economies. All whilst under the intensity of trying to find the next paycheque.
Why not throw in a global pandemic and threats of world wars, for good measure. Employee management and ensuring they get paid each month. Investors and boards. Winning new customers and servicing existing ones. Office rent. Raising more capital. Endless 'no's' and rejections. Product pivots.
It is all an endless cycle of pressure after pressure.
Now I'm not moaning. I made the choice to take on the stresses. I chose to fight as a Royal Marines Commando and chose the life of an entrepreneur to build Loopin. I accept the dangers, risks and unrelenting pressures to make it all work. But that isn't to say it doesn't affect me.
I know that over the last couple of years, I have changed as a person. In some ways good. In other ways, bad. My social life sucks. I have to make very conscious decisions about family and work, often getting it the wrong way around. And I'm a lot more distant now, always staring off into the distance as I think about how to fix the next problem, or how to deal with another impending financial decision.
You thought the thousand-yard stare comes from battle. It comes from the boardroom!
But these are the problems many people are facing currently, even if they don't run their own businesses. And yet, even though the focus on mental health and wellbeing increases, with people and companies paying more attention to the subject, awful figures still stare back at us.
Did you know the male suicide rate is three times higher than women? On average, there are 15.4 male suicides among every 100k people. And collectively, more and more deaths are being witnessed within families and lives we would describe as 'normal', where all seems well on the surface. I can name seven people alone who have disappeared in the last few years. And double that number with close calls. So could you.
I still believe that the problem is not that we aren't normalising mental health. In fact, I think we are getting great at that. I believe the problem is that people still aren't being selfish enough with themselves. People aren't putting number one first, failing to realise that this selfishness actually has a positive and profound impact on everything else around us. Our family, friends, and careers.
My ethos is simple. If I put my grey matter before everything else in my life, then I will be a far better dad, husband, son, friend and leader. You should too. If you have selfish walks, alone times, chats, and personal investment opportunities, then everything else around you benefits. If you don't, everything else can suffer.
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