We have all heard the phrase, “pull yourself up by your bootstraps”. It is a phrase we use to describe our own discipline and efforts and its something that we use to decribe the discipline and efforts of others. It implies that your individual effort and whatever resources you have are enough to get whatever you need or where ever you want to go. It implies that your failure or success is entirely up to you.
This phrase has never been true for me.
The idea of bootstraps comes to us from over a century ago. And, it has strong roots in the concept of individualism, with it being defined and used to describe a person who is able to use self reliance to overcome difficult odds or scarcity to reach goals. A person who is able to pull herself up by her bootstraps is solely responsible for her outcomes in life.
But, there is a major problem with this idea. There is no human who does anything alone and nearly all life outcomes, whether deemed as failure or success, are the result of the contributions of many, not one sole individual.
Let’s review the idea of business success for example. Here, the bootstrap mentally is especially faulty. In the startup world it is defined as a method of financing a business, where one puts all of their own resources into getting the business off the ground. Entrepreneurs successful at creating thriving businesses using this method boast about this detail which usually is met with praise and adoration for the grit and perseverance it implies.
But, when we look at the most successful businesses out there, they are not bootstrapped. And, even startups go beyond bootstrapping to get to higher levels where the success you see is actually deemed successful by peers and society. So, this individual lone ranger mentality to business becomes more lore than reality. But, if this is so, why do we hang onto it and what is the alternative?
I posit that we hang on to the idea of the bootstrap mentality because we’re simply conditioned to believe in it. It is crucial to the foundation of the idea of the American Dream and its built into our DNA. And, simply communicating this to folks around us as something we’ve done give us a reward of praise. But, it also has its cons. Believing that you alone can get you through your journey can leave you exhausted, resentful, and even delayed in reaching your goal. It takes a lot of cash, time and labor to build a business and it is physically and emotionally draining. There are many days you’ll wish you had some help and not reaching out to receive it will leave you wondering why the folks around you simply don’t see your struggle. Not receiving the help when you need it is where resentment will creep in and it is a direct result of not communicating what you need and not being open enough to receive it.
An alternative that can help you reach your goals quicker is a belief that nothing is done alone and that you can create and tap into community to help you along. You don’t have to bootstrap. You can reach out to your community to first find your initial list of resources. Once you identify your resources you can then tap into those resources for additional support. You keep instituting this process of tapping in and following up to deepen your networks. Along the way you are continuously communicating your intention and efforts and allowing the members the opportunity to do the work that both fulfills their innate needs to contribute and their aspirational goals to be of purpose.
There are many things we can do alone. But, many things are not necessary to do alone, and that includes bootstrapping. Reach your goals quicker, preserve your cash, and physical and emotional strength by tapping into the power of community.
Do you believe in bootstrapping any aspect of life?
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