As a female entrepreneur in the media industry myself, it isn't a shocker that Arianna Huffington is a huge personal inspiration. She has forged an incredibly impressive career and like any great mogul, there's a method to her madness. Many of the things I've learned about entrepreneurship and success from watching Arianna Huffington's career are a bit unconventional, but I think I'm better off for embracing these tenets of success.
One of the big lessons that I've learned from Arianna Huffington is that sleep is a necessity. This lesson is prominent not only in her book Thrive, but also in a Ted Talk she gave on the importance of sleep. In her words, "The way to a more productive, more inspired, more joyful life is getting enough sleep." I've found that to be very true in my life, and sleep is an aspect of my life that I try my hardest not to neglect.
As an entrepreneur, all too often I hear that working is more important than sleeping and it's a luxury we must sacrifice for success. On the contrary, I've found that I work my best when I get a full, productive night's sleep. I've even started to use a sleep tracker to monitor my sleeping habits and make sure I'm setting myself up for success. Now, will wanting 8 hours of sleep ever get in the way of me making a deadline or finishing an important project? Of course not. But I've made it a habit to ensure that the majority of the time I can enjoy a restful night's sleep. I deserve to be at my best for myself, my business, my team, and our readers.
Another lesson I've gleaned from Arianna Huffington is that it's important to be present in the here-and-now, and to interact and make connections with those around me -- and not just for the sake of networking. As business owners we can be so focused on making connections and furthering our business that we forget the value in the simplicity of genuine human interaction. We lose a lot of personal value in making the primary focus of our interactions about business, and if you're anything like me, you'll find that the more personal connections you make, the more inspired you feel by your work. When I step back and focus on interacting with the community around me on a daily basis, I feel a lot more fulfilled. And feeling fulfilled means I'm more productive at work.
Which brings us to the reason why we do what we do as entrepreneurs. It's easy to focus on money and power, but Arianna challenges businesspeople to focus on purpose. Money and power mean absolutely nothing if you're miserable, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to be miserable. As an entrepreneur and the founder of my own business, I have the amazing opportunity of shaping the culture of not only my personal life, but my company as well. I always want that purpose to be one grounded in happiness and health coming first. Financial success means nothing without a motivated team that's thriving, not just surviving.
All of that brings me to the most important lesson I've learned from Arianna Huffington. Something that was really clear in her book, Thrive, is that more than anything, you have to love what you do. Whether you have a corporate career or are forging your own path as an entrepreneur, you have to enjoy what you're doing. When you love your job not only are you happier, but you're more productive at work and excel at the tasks you're given. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy of happiness begetting success and thus begetting more happiness. What's not to like about that?
I've heard time and time again that money is all that matters, sleep means nothing, and that and personal fulfillment is hogwash. Yet I've found the opposite to be true as I've applied some of Arianna Huffington's seemingly unconventional lessons in entrepreneurship. I'm happiest when I'm getting a full night's sleep and spending a full day doing what I love. And you know what? That's when I see the most success, too.
This blog post originally appeared on The Miss Information.
Follow Alexis Dent on Twitter at www.twitter.com/alexisdent.