There's a friend of mine who has built a very successful small business. He has maybe six staff, but a large shop facility and a lot of investment in equipment.

He is extremely methodical and disciplined, including in his fun.

I've seen him work 16 hour days for long stretches, and told him "I don't know how you do it."

"Oh. This isn't for long. I'm flying to Houston to meet my brother after this contract, and taking my sister to meet him in Utah six months later for a hiking trip."

When he's away, his work phone is off. No contact for several weeks.

I'm not working toward anything to look forward to long term.

Maybe that is part of the problem.

I'm not trying to succeed. I'm trying to not fail.