Backwards

I have a friend who started out on my team. We spent years working closely, solving problems side by side, and somewhere along the way, the working relationship became more like family.

He has gone on to build a remarkable life as an entrepreneur. Real success, the kind most people chase their whole lives. And yet what stays with me is not what he has achieved. It is how he carries it. Humble. Grounded. Fearless. Living entirely on his own terms.

He reminds me of something most of us get backwards.

We tell ourselves a simple story. Once I have more, the bigger role, the title, the money, then I can do what I want. And then I will be happy.

Have, then do, then be.

But watching him, I see it works the other way around.

He was always clear about who he was first. He did the work that aligned with it. And the “having” followed, almost as a by-product.

Be, then do, then have.

The order matters more than we realise. Chase having first, and you can spend a whole life accumulating and still feel empty.

Start with being, like my friend did, and you are already most of the way home.

Something I take inspiration from.