Steve Jobs advised keeping hunger pangs, along with foolishness, at the forefront in his 2005 Stanford Commencement speech. Idealism, entrepreneurism and risk are often identified as a trailblazer’s ingredients for success in lieu of the chef’s sage, rosemary and thyme. Set the bar high, walk your own high wire rather than someone else’s line, and get gutsy. But stay hungry? In the land of plenty, do we know what hunger feels like? And moreover, how can hunger be beneficial in a business sense as well as a physical sense?
Set the bar high, walk your own high wire rather than someone else’s line, and get gutsy.
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Consider the concept of calorie restriction (CR). The government-funded CALORIE (Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy) project, which completed recruitment and two-year follow up in April 2012, embarked to “…better understand the effect of prolonged caloric restriction on aging and to test how practical and safe is a 25% calorie-restricted diet in normal-weight individuals.” Per the CALORIE project’s website, “Numerous studies have shown that chronic caloric restriction extends average life span in animals and delays age-related diseases.” According to Brian M. Delaney, president of Calorie Restriction Society International (CRSI) and co-author of “The Longevity Diet,” as interviewed by Failure Magazine says “The evidence suggests that even a slight reduction [in caloric intake] will confer some health and longevity benefits.” He adds “Everyone should try to get a good gauge of their current state of health before making any changes.”
There’s a difference between calorie restriction and malnutrition. The CR theory suggests that calorie intake should exclude foods containing empty calories, thus increasing the amount of nutrients per food compound capita, hence more bang for the bile-friendly buck.
If research shows that staying hungry extends your body’s shelf life, then what of having a perpetual case of the munchies in business? Entrepreneurs write and talk about strategies and many aim to strike the balance between peckish vs. starved. The New York Times noted our nation’s stilted celebration around economic improvements. Recent trends suggest that companies aren’t hosting hiring parades and handing out proverbial tin-foil wrapped candies in the shape of dollars and cents toward new hires in order to stay afloat. Scarcity around new hires continues and according to the same Times article, there are six million fewer jobs to go around than at the start of the 2007 recession.
Gulp.
And glee for the entrepreneurial go-getter who doesn’t mind a rumble in the tummy.
Entrepreneurs write and talk about strategies and many aim to strike the balance between peckish vs. starved.
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While tooling around a slimmed-down smörgåsbord of opportunities peppering the path toward the American Dream, listen to your belly. Every once in a while, indulge by taking on more than what you consider a normal serving. Do make sure the pile on is dense with rich experiences and leads to new inroads. No empty calories here. Fill your plate to the brim and then some. Just don’t act as if it’s your last meal.