My Advice to 22 Year-Olds

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My Advice to 22 Year-Olds

As I write this, I’m just past the big 6O. Here’s some advice based on thirty-eight more years of living than you have. I don’t expect you to believe everything I say–when I was twenty-two I wouldn’t listen to someone this old, but maybe some of this will resonate with you:

Challenge the known and embrace the unknown. Accepting the known and resisting the unknown is a mistake. You should do exactly the opposite: challenge the known and embrace the unknown. Now is the time to take this kind of risk because you have less to lose and everything to gain. Great things happen to people who question the status quo.

Be brief. Contrary to school, in the work place there are few minimums. In my entire career, I can count on one hand the instances when an email, presentation, or report was too short. The perfect length for everything is when it is “complete”—more is less, and “shock and awe” doesn’t work in business or war. Here are guidelines: email—five sentences; presentations—tens slides and twenty minutes; report—one page.

Tell stories, do demos, and use pictures. The most enchanting people tell stories, do demos, and use pictures to influence and persuade others. They do not belittle or berate. They paint a picture in people’s minds whether the medium is social media, email, in-person presentations, phone calls, or video conferences. There is only one Steve Jobs, but if you want a shot at being the next Steve Jobs, learn to communicate using stories, demos, and pictures.

Don’t sweat your first job. Over your lifetime, you’ll probably have five to ten jobs in two to three industries. Your first job is not going to be your last. It’d be great if your first job was to be the fifth employee of the next Google, but the odds of this are small. The only mistake you could make is taking a first job where you couldn’t learn anything, and if you can’t learn anything, it’s probably your fault. Just get in and work hard and stop thinking about finding the perfect first job.

Live in the present, work for the future. The day after you start work, no one is going to care what school you went to, what your grade point average was, if you were captain of the football, robotics, or debate team, or who your parents are. All that matters is whether you deliver results or you don’t, so work hard to make your boss look good (see next).

Make your boss look good. Your job is to make your boss look good. The theory that you should make your boss look bad so that you can advance above him or her is flawed. Trying to do so will probably make you look disloyal to your boss and stupid to the rest of the organization. You want your boss to succeed so that you can draft behind him or her.

Continue to learn. Learning is a process not an event, so you should never stop learning. Indeed, it gets easier to learn once you’re out of school because the relevance of what you need to learn becomes more obvious. Indeed, the day you graduate is when the real learning begins.

Don’t get married too soon. I got married when I was thirty-two. That’s about the right age. Until you’re about that age, you may not know who you are. You also may not know who you’re marrying. I don’t know anyone who got married too late. I know many people who got married too young.

Obey the absolutes. When you were young, it was absolutely wrong to lie, cheat, or steal. When you enter the workforce, you will be tempted to think in relative terms. As you grow older, you will see that right and wrong seems to change from absolute to relative. This is wrong: right is right and wrong is wrong forever.

Enjoy your family and friends before they are gone. Nothing–not money, power, or fame–can replace your family and friends or bring them back once they are gone. You probably have delusions of immortality right now—that’s natural. At least consider that while you may be immortal, those around you are not.

One more thing. When you were a child, you thought your parents were always right. Through high school and college, you thought your parents were always wrong. After college, you’ll realize that your parents were often right. And then, believe it or not, you’ll eventually become your parents. Wrap your young mind around that….

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How to Create a Learning Environment

Organizations cannot really change people and educate them, that is something employees have to do themselves. As a manager, if you feel responsible for people’s self-development–and you should be–a good alternative is to tweak the environment so that people change themselves, educate themselves, and start developing the desired habits.

One company that understands this well is the Australian software company Atlassian. Once every three months, they select a day on which everyone in the company works for the entire day on an idea of their own choosing. The requirement is that they deliver a result in just 24 hours, hence the name ShipIt day. (The original name was actually FedEx day, but the FedEx company started to voice concerns about this.) Several other organizations, including Facebook and Spotify, organize similar internal events called hackathons or hack days. It pretty much boils down to the same thing. Business stands still for one day—some people even stay at the office for a whole night—and everyone learns.

Exploration Days

Frankly, I prefer to use the term exploration days. After all, the goal of such days is to get employees to learn as much as possible by generating and exploring new ideas. Experts agree that the purpose of hackathons and other forms of exploration days is toexperiment with ideas, not to ship things. And organizations must learn how to run such experiments regularly, because those that learn fastest are the ones best able to survive.

On an exploration day, you can work on whatever you want, as long as it isn’t part of your regular work. You can choose to do it alone, but it’s probably more fun to team up with some of your colleagues. Such days can be wild and spontaneous, but they work better when they are planned.

At Atlassian, they usually have a “ShipIt organizer” who prepares meetings to come up with ideas that can be turned into projects. At Facebook, they have a group called Hackathon Ideaswhere people post ideas during the week leading up to a hackathon, so that teams can form organically around them.

Never Too Busy to Learn

According to the people at Atlassian, ShipIt days work well because they stimulate creativity, they help solve actual problems, they increase knowledge and experience, and they are a lot of fun. The people at Facebook and Spotify seem to agree that hack days lead to more focused and open working environments. And they not only involve developers, but designers, marketers, and other experts as well. Last but not least, exploration days seem to help increase social connections between people, help them to self-organize, and increase commitment among employees.

There are several things I like about exploration days. First and foremost, when you encourage people to organize ShipIt days and hackathons, peer pressure will make it harder for employees to claim that they are “too busy”, an argument that is also heard among Google’s employees. Second, the commitment to present the results in 24 hours adds some useful constraints to self-development. Third, handing out an award for the best idea, as a token of recognition among peers, seems to target people’s sense of honor and mastery. Fourth and finally, when some people’s ideas evolve into actual new products, this will clearly satisfy their desire for status.

Read more; http://switchandshift.com/how-to-create-a-learning-environment?utm_content=buffer8a537&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

14 Questions Every Christian Leader Should Ask Themselves

The story of William Wilberforce fascinates me.  Born in 1759, Wilberforce became the youngest member of the House of Commons at just 21. Thanks to the influence of his mentor John Newton, the former slave ship captain and hymn writer of Amazing Grace, Wilberforce’s life changed radically. He became a born-again, devout Christian. Inspired by the Scripture’s teaching on the foundational equality of human beings, he spent his entire life leading the anti-slavery movement in the British Empire.

Behind the remarkable legacy of this leader, I discovered the greatest secret to his personal life:

His commitment to weekly withdrawals form the wild scramble of public life so that he could engage in worship, connection with a small circle of close friends, and quiet reflection.

Today, we live in a world blinded by the intoxication of consumerism. Every day, we are inundated with a litany of to-do lists. There’s simply too much “pursuits” on our plate (albeit all for the “glory” of God).

What defines us isn’t what we do, rather it’s what we stop do.

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Gordon McDonald challenges leaders to ask the following questions to engage our inner conversation.

1) What have been the beautiful moments in which God may have been revealing himself to me? And what have been the evil moments when the worst in me or in the larger world showed itself?

2) What happened this week that needs to be remembered, perhaps recorded in a journal so I can return to it in the future and recall the blessing (or the rebuke) of God? Making such a record is like those monuments and altars God had the Israelites raise up when great things worth remembering had happened.

3) What have my prevailing feelings been (and what are they at the present)? Has there been a preponderance of sadness, of fear, of anger, of emptiness? Or has it been a time where joy and enthusiasm has been the dominant mood

4) What have been the “blessings,” those acts of grace that have come through others or—as I perceive it—directly from God himself? Can I express praise and appreciation (sometimes even written in a thank-you note or journal)?

5) Have things happened for which I need to accept responsibility, perhaps leading to repentance? Why did they happen? Were they avoidable and how can they be prevented in the future?

6) What have been the thoughts that have been dominating my leader think-time? Noble thoughts? Escapist thoughts that woo me away from more important or challenging issues? Superficial thoughts that lead to nowhere?

7) Is there a possibility that I am living in denial of certain realities? Painful criticism, sloppy work, habitual patterns that are hurting me and others?

8) Are there any resentments or ill feelings toward others that remain unaddressed, unforgiven?

9) As a leader visualizing myself in the company of spouse, children, friends, colleagues: am I a pleasant person to be around? Are people challenged, elevated, enthused when I enter the room? As someone has observed, “Some people bring joy wherever they go; others bring joy when they go.” Which am I?

10) What is God trying to say into my life today? Through Scripture? Through other readings? What has he been saying through those in my inner circle of relationships? Through critics? What insights swirl up and out of the deepest parts of my soul? Which of them needs to be repudiated, and which needs to be cultivated?

11) What are the possibilities in the hours ahead? Where might there be ambushes that would challenge character, reputation, well-being?

12) What are the things I might do and say that would make the people in my inner circle feel more loved and appreciated?

13) Am I mindful of the socially awkward, the poor, the suffering, the oppressed in my local world and in the larger world? Am I in tune with appropriate current events in the world and perceiving them through the lens of biblical perspective?

14) What specific steps will I take today to enhance growth as a follower of Jesus?

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How to develop a lifelong learning habit

Never let schooling get in the way of your education – Mark Twain

Hard and technical skills we are told become outdated as fast as we obtain them, making a commitment to lifelong learning even more important than ever. Content learned in the first year of an engineering degree is said to be out of date before the end of the final year. It has become vital to stay committed to lifelong learning habits. This isn’t about keeping your end up in dinner party conversation.

It will be critical to being present in your own future. 

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As professional careers or working lives become extended, workplaces become more age and culturally diverse, staying in touch with the zeitgeist will assume a new significance for all. On top of this many hard skills will need updating. A marketing expert can no longer survive with traditional marketing knowledge alone, but will need digital marketing skills and know how. A lawyer might need business training or soft skill training,  a chef will need financial skills, nutritional and legal knowledge. This has possibly always been the case to some degree, but today, with an unprecedented pace of change and individuals having to assume greater responsibility for investment in their careers,  it is more important than ever.

Today, with the demands made on us from every angle and attention spans decreasing,  even those who understand well the need for lifelong learning, can find it challenging to stay the course.

Here are 12 tips for developing a lifelong learning habit:

1.  Have career goals and strategy

Understand your life long career goals and create a career strategy to achieve them, starting with the current year ahead. Carry out a career audit.  What are your strengths and personal development needs? Are they in line with your goals? Do a skill set assessment for this year. What do you need to work on for the next step in your plan? Create that plan and stick to it. If you are thinking of a career gap for any reason – parenting leave is one, make sure that you have a strategy for staying up to date and lifelong learning. Many women are shocked at how fast the work place moves on, as they have busied themselves with their domestic roles. Re-entry can be a struggle. During periods of unemployment it is also important to stay focused on lifelong learning.

2. Select a career that challenges you

If you are not in a career or role that stimulates you most of the time (most jobs have some boring elements) now is the time to change. This might be a new profession all together or a new role.

If you need support on this check out my career coaching programmes

3. Prioritise learning

Very often, especially those who have had lengthy and rigorous training, take their foot off the gas once they have qualified, or reached a certain level of seniority.

"This is a sure-fire route to the career cemetery." 

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You don’t want to go there – especially mid-career.  Make learning a priority.

4. Make a business case

You company might not be enthused about your interest in wine, but where applicable commit to making a business case for your personal development for corporate sponsorship every year. Even though organisations are tending to invest less in employee training, the worst thing that can happen is your boss can say no.

5. Stay up to date

Create a habit of reading and understanding what’s going on in the world and your sector. Whether this is via a newspaper, online sources, Twitter or Facebook or following influencers and thought leaders on LinkedIn. Create alerts for the topics that interest you and keep an eye open for those that don’t currently – but might in the future. Understanding  how world events impact those not directly involved, is important to anticipating trends.

6. Cultivate the right network    

Add people to your network who can enrich your skill set, knowledge and experience. Meet and or interact with them regularly if possible.

7. Look for a mentor

Find someone who has walked in your shoes to be your mentor. What wisdom can they share from their own experiences? What would they advise in your position?

8. Be your own brain storming buddy.

Albert Einstein said, “Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.”   Start keeping a record of ideas and projects and a journal of your own thoughts. They might come in handy.

 9. Put your hand up

Volunteer or position yourself for stretch assignments so you can put into practise the skills that you have learned or develop new ones. It might be a negotiation skill, handling a difficult conversation or even a new hard skill. Make sure you gain maximum use out of it before that too becomes obsolete.

10. Become a mentor

Pay it forward. Share what you’ve learned with someone junior, or even act as a reverse mentor with an older or more senior colleague to consolidate the knowledge you have acquired.

11. De-clutter

Just like your computers, your network, mental hard drive, address book and feed alerts need to be defragged and cleaned up to be at peak performance.  De-clutter.

"Be tough about what you no longer need to know or could let go."

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Perhaps you have advanced and are in a position to outsource some of the low value work, or a niche specialist for the more specific technical elements. Let go of people in your network who hold you back.

12. Daily routine

Making lifelong learning part of your daily routine will eventually become a habit. Allocate to begin with 10 minutes a day of “you” time to implement your strategy and achieve your goals so that your future is the one you have planned.  

What else would you add?

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10 Ways You’re Making Your Life Harder Than It Has To Be

1. You ascribe intent.

Another driver cut you off. Your friend never texted you back. Your co-worker went to lunch without you. Everyone can find a reason to be offended on a steady basis. So what caused you to be offended? You assigned bad intent to these otherwise innocuous actions. You took it as a personal affront, a slap in the face.

Happy people do not do this. They don’t take things personally. They don’t ascribe intent to the unintentional actions of others.

2. You’re the star of your own movie.

It is little wonder that you believe the world revolves around you. After all, you have been at the very center of every experience you have ever had.

You are the star of your own movie. You wrote the script. You know how you want it to unfold. You even know how you want it to end.

Unfortunately you forgot to give your script to anyone else. As a result, people are unaware of the role they are supposed to play. Then, when they screw up their lines, or fail to fall in love with you or don’t give you a promotion, your movie is ruined.

Lose your script. Let someone else star once in awhile. Welcome new characters. Embrace plot twists.

3. You fast forward to apocalypse.

I have a bad habit of fast forwarding everything to its worst possible outcome and being pleasantly surprised when the result is marginally better than utter disaster or jail time. My mind unnecessarily wrestles with events that aren’t even remotely likely. My sore throat is cancer. My lost driver’s license fell into the hands of an al-Qaeda operative who will wipe out my savings account.

Negativity only breeds more negativity. It is a happiness riptide. It will carry you away from shore and if you don’t swim away from it, will pull you under.

4. You have unrealistic and/or uncommunicated expectations.

Among their many shortcomings of your family and friends is the harsh reality that they cannot read your mind or anticipate your whims.

Did your boyfriend forget the six and a half month anniversary of your first movie date? Did your girlfriend refuse to call at an appointed hour? Did your friend fail to fawn over your tribal tattoo?

Unmet expectations will be at the root of most of your unhappiness in life. Minimize your expectations, maximize your joy.

5. You are waiting for a sign.

I have a friend who won’t make a decision without receiving a “sign.” I suppose she is waiting on a trumpeted announcement from God. She is constantly paralyzed by a divinity that is either heavily obscured or frustratingly tardy. I’m not disavowing that fate or a higher power plays a role in our lives. I’m just saying that it is better to help shape fate than be governed by it.

6. You don’t take risks.

Two words: Live boldly. Every single time you are offered a choice that involves greater risk, take it. You will lose on many of them but when you add them up at the end of your life you’ll be glad you did.

7. You constantly compare your life to others.

A few years ago I was invited to a nice party at a big warehouse downtown. I was enjoying the smooth jazz, box wine and crustless sandwiches. What more could a guy want? Later in the evening I noticed a steady parade of well-heeled people slide past and disappear into another room. I peeked and saw a large party with beautiful revelers dancing and carrying on like Bacchus. Suddenly my gig wasn’t as fun as it had been all because it didn’t appear to measure up to the party next door- a party I didn’t even know existed until just moments before.

I do this frequently. Those people are having more fun. Mary has a bigger boat. Craig gets all the lucky breaks. Ted has more money. John is better looking.

Stop it.

Always remember what Teddy Roosevelt said: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

8. You let other people steal from you.

If you had a million dollars in cash under your mattress, you would check it regularly and take precautions to insure it is safe. The one possession you have that is more important than money is time. But you don’t do anything to protect it. In fact you willingly give it to thieves. Selfish people, egotistical people, negative people, people who won’t shut up. Treat your time like Fort Knox. Guard it closely and give it only to those who deserve and respect it.

9. You can’t/won’t let go.

These are getting a little harder aren’t they? That’s because sometimes you have to work at happiness. Some hurdles are too difficult to clear by simply adjusting your point of view or adopting a positive mindset.

Do you need to forgive someone? Do you need to turn your back on a failed relationship? Do you need to come to terms with the death of a loved one?

Life is full of loss. But, in a sense, real happiness would not be possible without it.  It helps us appreciate and savor the things that really matter. It helps us grow. It can help us help others grow.

Closure is a word for people who have never really suffered. There’s no such thing. Just try to “manage” your loss. Put it in perspective. You will always have some regret and doubt about your loss. You may always second guess yourself. If only you had said this, or tried that.

You’re not alone. Find someone who understands and talk to that person. Reach out for support. If all else fails, try #10 below.

10. You don’t give back.

One way to deal with loss is to immerse yourself in doing good. Volunteer. Get involved in life.

It doesn’t even have to be a big, structured thing. Say a kind word. Encourage someone. Pay a visit to someone who is alone. Get away from your self-absorption.

When it comes down to it, there are two types of people in this world. There are givers and there are takers. Givers are happy. Takers are miserable. What are you? 

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How a lack of sleep affects the brain

If you yawn during the day, conk out as soon as your head hits the pillow or re-read this sentence a few times to absorb its meaning, here’s some bad news: You need more sleep.

Scientists still don’t know exactly why we sleep, but according to a near-constant stream of research, most of us need between six and eight hours of shut-eye each night. Unfortunately, only about 30% of us are getting it. That means 70 million Americans suffer from sleep deprivation, a certified public health epidemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sleep deprivation takes an enormous toll on our bodies, including bloodshot eyes, increased blood pressure and a fuller waistline. But what’s equally alarming is the negative impact of sleep deprivation on the brain.

This infographic explains what happens to your brain, and what it means for you, when you don’t get enough sleep:

Links to infographic resources: The Journal of Neuroscience, International Scholarly Research Notes,Experimental Brain Research, Psychological Bulletin, UC Berkeley Walker Sleep Lab, PNAS, International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, CDC, The Journal of Neuroscience, SLEEP,PLOS one, Psychological Science, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, Daytime Sleepiness Affects Prefrontal Regulation of Food Intake. All images by: Liran Okanon and Tri Vo

Published in collaboration with Mic

Author: Theresa Fisher is the editor of Brain.Mic. A Brooklyn-based journalist, she writes about health, behavior and justice. 

Image: A stockbroker looks at stock index numbers on his computer screen at a brokerage firm in Mumbai August 6, 2007. REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe

Posted by Theresa Fisher - 04:20

All opinions expressed are those of the author. The World Economic Forum Blog is an independent and neutral platform dedicated to generating debate around the key topics that shape global, regional and industry agendas.

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How to Keep the Marriage Strong When You Work Together

When food writer Molly Wizenberg’s husband, Brandon Pettit, first brought up the idea of starting his own restaurant, she was more than a little skeptical. “He was going to be a professor of music,” she laughs.

Although her musician husband had worked in restaurants for years to make extra cash, the idea of actually owning a restaurant scared Wizenberg. “It just seemed so far-fetched,” she says. Before she knew it, Delancey, a Seattle pizza restaurant, was opening and Wizenberg was not only married to its owner, she was an integral part of the business.  

“When the idea first came about, it wasn’t really my project. My husband was going to be doing it with a friend of ours,” she says. When the business partner pulled out of the project, Wizenberg stepped in. Her reputation as a food writer caught the attention of local press, who began writing about the restaurant before it even opened, attributing the restaurant to the reluctant spouse. Whether she wanted the restaurant or not, it was happening and Wizenberg was a co-owner.

Married since 2007 and co-owners of Delancey since 2009, Wizenberg and Pettit know a thing or two about the challenges of being married to a business. Marriage and business are so intertwined, Wizenberg says the same challenges that exist in one area are often reflected in the other. In her recent book Delancey: A Man, A Woman, A Restaurant, A Marriage, Wizenberg highlights the challenges of being married to your business. Here, she shares some of her key lessons learned:

Opposites work. “[Working together at] the restaurant highlighted the parts of our personality that both work really well together and [the one’s that] don’t work well together and forces us to work through those things,” says Wizenberg. While Wizenberg is more detail-oriented, Pettit sees the bigger picture. “He’s much better at reading the vibe of the dining room,” she says.  These differences, Wizenberg says, have not only made for a stronger partnership, but a better-run restaurant.

Related: My Spouse, My Business Partner

Separate tasks. Wizenberg and Pettit discovered the key to their success as a married couple and business partners is to split work based on the tasks they both enjoy. While during the early days of Delancey, both worked in the kitchen – Pettit made the pizzas and Wizenberg made the appetizers and desserts -- Wizenberg says she quickly realized the kitchen wasn’t her forte.

“I’m really not cut out for being a restaurant cook,” she says. “You have to be somebody who really thrives on adrenaline and who gets a rush from working under pressure and that’s not at all my temperament.” After four months of working in the kitchen, Wizenberg redefined her role in the business, delegating salads and desserts to other kitchen staff and taking on a more managerial role, handling the back-office part of the business.

“It’s been really important for us as business owners and as a married couple that we are each doing the work that we enjoy doing and that we’re good at in the business,” says Wizenberg. If there’s something neither of them is good at? They delegate it to someone else.

Related: Running a Home Business? With a Spouse? How to Cope.

Separating work and home life isn’t always best.Early into their business venture, Wizenberg was advised to build a wall between the home and the business. “I found this very difficult to do,” she admits. And perhaps, not necessary. Wizenberg took some time off from the business – ironically when she was writing Delancey. “In many ways, that year was particularly hard for us because I didn’t know what was going on in the business. It was very hard for me to relate to Brandon, to understand his stresses and his goals at that time,” she says. “Ultimately, I really feel like the business runs the best and our marriage runs the best when we’re both involved and invested in the restaurant.”

Make room for couple time. Wizenberg and Pettit close the restaurant on Monday night and have a date night. Even though they typically end up talking about the restaurant, simply being in another environment changes the conversation. “It’s amazing how less stressful it is to talk about the business when we get some distance from it. Even if it means we’re sitting in someone else’s restaurant talking about our restaurant, we feel more connected than if we were sitting together working at [Delancey],” says Wizenberg.

A successful business requires commitment from both partners. Although Wizenberg was a reluctant restaurateur, she realized for the business to be successful, she was going to have to put aside her fears and reluctance and fully commit to the restaurant. “I don’t think this would have been good for our marriage if I hadn’t been able to come around and see the good in the business and let myself see that there was good in it for me, too,” she says. [When you’re married to your business partner] “your life is entwined with this other person in so many different ways. If you’re holding onto resentment or anger, it’s going to bleed into everything” – including the business’ bottom line.

Read more; http://ht.ly/Gg2gO

50 Signs You Are Married to an Entrepreneur

All marriages come with all different types of challenges and experiences. I have realized that while many of these marriage/partner experiences are similar to other couples', there is a whole new dimension in marriages involving an entrepreneur.

The breed of the entrepreneur personality has many unique traits that don’t always fit into the same box that some may consider the "norm" in a relationship. As someone who is married to an entrepreneur, I often find myself shaking my head and enjoying some of the funny things that my husband does. Some of these things I absolutely love about him, some I learn to live with, and luckily, we often both laugh about the entrepreneurial personality!

If you are married to an entrepreneur, or if you have ever wondered what it is like to be married to one, check out this list. I came up with this list after my husband wrote the article, “50 Signs You Might be an Entrepreneur.” If a large quantity of these, “signs,” resonate with you, then you are definitely married to an entrepreneur!

Related: How to Be an Entrepreneur Happily Married to an Entrepreneur

1. It’s hard to explain what your spouse does for work in just a couple sentences.

2.You have suddenly awoken somewhere around 5:30am to the sound of your spouse’s fingers clicking on his laptop next to you in bed.

3. At times your bank account has enough money in it to buy a house outright, but your spouse is still driving what I call his, “clunker” of a car. (And worse, he doesn’t care!)

4. The balance in your bank account fluctuates by tens of thousands of dollars from one week to the next on a regular basis.

5. Your entrepreneur’s commute often consists of relocating all the way from the bedroom to the couch or his desk.

6. You have more swag in your house than you know what to do with.

7. Your spouse has said to you “Honey, I might have bought something.” And when you ask him what he bought, he says “A domain!” You breathe deeply before you ask, “How much?” And he says, “Um, $17k.” You try hard to appear reasonable, and calm, and try not to freak-out. I try to remember that he knows what he’s doing, and will, of course, have an idea of what he will use this domain for. But, when I ask my entrepreneur what the domain is for, he hasn't decided yet! Whaaaat?!

8. You have attended more events and networking groups than you can count.

9. More people know your name and face than you could have possibly ever met. Of course, you are often only referred to as, “the spouse of so and so.”

10. Your entrepreneur may have at least three or four lunch meetings a week, and three or four late business meetings/events a week. I have to remember that a lot of plans are “soft,” plans.

11. You have done many random jobs for their business, like data entry, content editing, managed schedules and ordering supplies.

12. They are always working on multiple projects at the same time.

13. Their attention and their drive on each project sometimes only lasts for as long as it keeps their interest and keeps them busy.

14. It often feels like they spend more time with their co-founder than they do with you.

15. They sometimes get so busy they forget to take time to shower for a day.

16. It’s like pulling teeth to get them to take a real vacation where they actually unplug.

17. You have planned multiple parties for their office.

18. They go into the “zone” while working where they can block everything else out around them, (especially your voice!).

19. They go over and over something with you before they make a decision, but once they decide, their mind is 100 percent made up.

20. Every time they tag you in something on Facebook you have at least 3 people from a foreign country send you a friend request.

21. Their laptop bag contains things like a toothbrush, protein bars, ear plugs, sleeping pills, a wifi card, and multiple power cords for every possible device.

Related: The Secret of Staying Married While Starting a Business

22. They have seen movies like “Social Network,” “Wallstreet,” and “Jerry McGuire” 20+ times, and can quote them all.

23. The only way to get them to remember dates or events is to send them a Google calendar invite.24. You sometimes worry that their headphones or Bluetooth have become permanently attached to their head.

25. You often feel like your entrepreneur lives in the clouds, of their dream businesses and projects, and you have to be the one to give them the reality checks they need.

26. Your spouse is unpredictable. Things can quickly change for an entrepreneur and they have to be ready to make adjustments when needed.

27. You often realize your entrepreneur has been so busy they haven’t eaten all day and you have to simply put food in front of them as they continue to work.

28. They have a collection of badges from all the hundreds of conferences and networking events they have attended.

29. They have come to you more than once wanting to invest everything you own into a project.

30. They are naturals at outsourcing.

31. They have multiple accounts on all different types of social media sites.

32. You have learned exactly what the terms bootstrapping, VC, and Series C funding means.

33. They talk to anyone and everyone when you are out in public and they are always networking.

34. They are always willing to give advice to other entrepreneurs. They are natural helpers.

35. You are their sounding board and they talk to you about business ideas that they need a fresh ear on. Many of the businesses you don't always understand, but you listen anyway.

36. You have toted a baby to more than one board meeting or event.

37. They tend to prefer jeans and a t-shirt to dress clothes. My entrepreneur often likes to have me pick out his clothes for events.

38. One of their guilty pleasures is browsing domains for sale.

39. They are always focused on the future and where they want to be in fove or 10 years.

40. They are always looking for new ways to make money, like posting your blowup mattress in the middle of your living room on airbnb.com.

41. They are one of the most passionate and hardworking people you know.

42. You have cleaned their office to save money on cleaning.

43. They often have sleepless nights when their brain won’t stop thinking about money and new ideas to grow their projects.

44. There is at least three businesses using your home address to receive mail.

45. You have found them shamelessly checking emails and texts while in the bathroom.

46. Some days your house looks like a pawn shop.

47. You have heard your entrepreneur rehearsing aloud their important sales pitches for their investors, countless times.

48. It has become commonplace to be called and told someone is coming to dinner with 30 minutes to prepare.

49. They constantly get offers from other companies or projects to join, and you have to remind them not to spread themselves too thin.

50. Thankfully, they don’t forget you, and often thank you for being so understanding and flexible, by surprising you with flowers or a favorite treat.

Even if you relate to half of these, "signs," you are probably married to an entrepreneur. I hope both you and your entrepreneur are able to chuckle and enjoy this list. After all, marriage is a rollercoaster, but you can enjoy the ride!

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