Managing Hope

My parents are immigrants from Communist Russia. Whenever I ask them about what growing up there was like, they ask me to “imagine a place without hope.” It’s hard for me because, all my life, I’ve relied on dreams to fuel my progress. To me, startups are all about hope. While that hope takes on different forms and peoples’ goals vary, the idea that there is a light at the end of the tunnel keeps entrepreneurs going, innovating, and striving to reach that light. The trouble with hope is that sometimes that light can be blinding and cause the journeyman to lose sight of the potholes immediately in front of him. As I’ve seen, a pragmatic approach is critical to success. Read on for 5 ways in which I try to keep the pedal to the proverbial metal.





1. Surround myself with people who tell me I’m full of it – Those who don’t believe make you think about how strong your belief is itself. Don’t be afraid to listen, but be critical. That kind of thought can only help. It will let you know if you’re going down the right path, if you should pivot, or if you should cut your losses. All 3 are important realizations.

2. Constantly Schedule – You’ve gotta get sh*t done. You can’t just sit around all day and dream. Dreams only come true with rigorous, vigorous action. Only LeBron got lucky enough not to do anything and still be on top of the world…I kid, but seriously. Get your head out of the clouds and go kick ass hour by hour.

3. Constantly Doubt – This goes in line with point 1. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself with doubt, but a good amount of doubt serves to fuel you to be more precise. The smartest, most accomplished people with whom I’ve ever spoken are constantly wary of bad luck and chance. They calculate and mitigate risk like none other. They might not show it on the outside, but that’s a defense mechanism. Inside, they’re always pushing themselves to overcome their fears by out-thinking them, making their fruition less likely.

4. Incentivize Achievement, Punish Defeat – Definitely reward yourself for a job well done. Whatever it is you like to do – if you’ve worked hard for a week, go do it for a day. If you haven’t worked hard for a week, impose self-punishment. You’re only beating yourself. Be careful though not to burn out. That’s a huge danger here.

5. Think about the Light – At the end of the day, you’ve still gotta hope. There has to be a vision that you’re striving for. A vision of a shift in the way people approach a situation, or a vision of yourself as someone who you want to be. That must be there to drive you, and you should reflect upon it every now and again. It’s what Billy Madison would refer to as his “happy place.”