Business owners, you need an escape.

I read Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. And an escape it was. But first, I want to explain why reading fiction is crucial for the development of entrepreneurs and small business owners. 

Running a business can be all encompassing at times. Ok, most times. You need a breather, and something to feed that soul of yours. When I want to escape, I read a good fiction book. Yup. I’m talking full I’m-outta-here time.

The entrepreneurial mind is constantly on. We are cruising top speed in that never ending journey for the next best idea or strategy to level up our business, or begin a new one. This is what makes us who we are. But dang. You have to come up for air sometimes. The work will always be there. And the beauty of taking a break, is that it will offer you an opportunity to clear some energy and gain a refreshed perspective. Put a pin in that spinning wheel and see what appears!

Entrepreneurs are often reluctant to read, and on the whole think they are too busy. If you are reading, you may feel you have to justify that time spent by reading a business book, then applying and “crushing it” in your everyday work life. Look, business books are my world, and the actionable takeaways are priceless. But that’s not a break, is it?

Reading fiction can be just as productive as reading a business book for us small business owners. Your brain is a muscle, and you need to work it! Think about it. If you only work your bicep the same way every day, what happens to your quadricep? Nada. It will just get all, well, flabby. When we open up new areas of thought, we are working out the grey matter in our noggins and letting our imaginations run wild.

Business owners reading fiction does not equate to “guilty pleasure”. You may think you’re slacking off if you pick up fiction. Not necessary!  If you find you need to quantify time spent, think of it this way – As you have likely noticed, I find all sorts of analogies that I can apply to my business. Working out, traveling, being in nature, and yup, reading fiction, have all taught me lessons that are universally applicable. I mean, I created a whole system around a huge pumpkin. 

I digress. As an entrepreneur I think we all must overcome our fears from time to time, and I learned an unexpected and powerful lesson about fear when I read Life of Pi. Check out this excerpt from the book:

“I must say a word about fear. It is life’s only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot, which it finds with unnerving ease. It begins in your mind, always … so you must fight hard to express it. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don’t, if your fear becomes a wordless darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you.” ― Yann Martel, Life of Pi

You never know what you will encounter in a good novel. What are you reading? I want to know!

And remember, there is always some truth in fiction.

• Mike