The Verbal Clue That Your Business Is Stalled—and How to Break Through
Many of us unconsciously express progress in a predictable pattern: Have => Do => Be.
Consider the familiar scenario: I need to have a lot of money, so I can spend more time painting, and then I’ll become an artist.
I’ve seen this pattern in my own life many times, and it often keeps us in neutral despite big ambitions. First, I need to hit a quarterly revenue target, then I’ll focus on building a customer-centric business, and finally I’ll work on making a meaningful impact in the industry. First, I need to secure financing, then I’ll prioritize employee happiness and become the leader I aspire to be.
This logic feels natural, but it’s toxic in that it ties progress to something you don’t yet have, effectively enabling perpetual delay.
In contrast, life and business that move most dynamically and successfully follow a different sequence: Be => Do => Have.
Becoming the best version of yourself happens in the present moment. Then you act from that place—creating, delivering, leading—in the here and now. Only after that will results such as revenue growth or capital raises follow.
An insightful perspective from Margaret Young captures this idea: “Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so that they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then, do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.”
If you feel stuck in a personal area or your startup is stalling on a critical project, pay attention to how you talk about progress. Concentrating your energy on what you can control—your identity and your actions—will quickly unfreeze momentum.
And yes, this approach can apply to startups built to generate funds with the aim of ultimately using business to help people and be the kind of leader the world needs. When you orient your efforts around personal and organizational integrity first, the business outcomes—profitability, growth, and impact—often follow.
