There's a tendency to redefine success among the less experienced.

Are you playing to just participate, or are you in it to win it? 

True faith-driven entrepreneurs know that mediocrity in business is not humility, it's a disservice to our calling. 

>> In the entrepreneurial world, especially among the less experienced, there's a tendency to redefine "success." 

This often emerges not from a place of insight but as a veil for underperformance in critical areas like revenue growth. It's easy to couch missed targets with rationalizations - spending more time with family, claiming that it's not all about the money. 

Entrepreneurship, like life, isn't an either/or scenario but an and/both journey. Mature adulthood - and, by extension, mature entrepreneurship - is about balancing multiple responsibilities effectively. 

It's about learning to walk and chew gum at the same time. When we start falling into the trap of using noble causes to mask underachievement, it's not just the business that suffers; our families and communities do too.

Consider professional sports teams, like those in the NFL. Can we even imagine a team entering the field with a mindset indifferent to winning? If victory isn't a primary goal, then it becomes a hobby, not a professional pursuit. The same principle applies to entrepreneurship.

For those of us driven by faith, this conversation takes on an even deeper dimension. If we believe that we are co-creating with God, that our work is an act of worship, settling for mediocrity or less shouldn't be in our lexicon. We're not just in the game; we are in it to win it. This isn't about disregarding the value of balance and non-material successes. It's about striving for excellence in all that we do, including our business outcomes.

Let's challenge ourselves to rise above justifications. It's time to match our lofty expectations with equally impressive results. Let’s don those “big-boy pants” and embrace the mature, holistic approach of adulting in both our personal lives and entrepreneurial ventures.

-Gerald