The Intersection of Asphalt Maintenance and Mindfulness: Cultivating a Balanced Approach
“The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”
― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
Most things in life require observation and pause, followed by action. Asphalt maintenance is no different, and mindfulness is key in asphalt maintenance. What is mindfulness? Though this word is used frequently in this day and age, as a concept it originates from the Vedic practice of meditation. It is the act of being intensely aware of your feelings and sensations, without interpretation or judgment. Pausing and listening.
Often in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we are simply too busy to spend some time being still and accept our thoughts as they are. For some of us, it takes till the dam breaks till we accept what we feel. We hold these emotions in our bodies and let it flow through our nervous system on a daily basis without realizing the toll it takes. The ‘negative’ emotions, the ‘positive’ ones, whichever it may be, in whatever form. The present moment, awareness and acceptance of body and mind, this is the basis of mindfulness.
Asphalt maintenance is well suited to the practice of mindfulness. As a repetitive physical action, it calms the mind and allows thoughts to follow a logical progression. Rather than stopping short, they reach their inevitable conclusion. Like when writing or painting, it allows one to attain a level of focus and clarity through this repetitive action. Maintaining asphalt necessitates observation, care, and finetuning your actions in accordance with what is needed. It requires attention. The finished product is only the cherry on top, but the art of it is in the process.
Like anything, asphalt is withered away with time and subject to the weather and whims of mother nature. Since the dawn of human civilization, our species has attempted to keep up with our natural environment. We as professionals have spent years observing, practicing and perfecting the use of asphalt to best suit a specific set of requirements. Mastery can be achieved at any skill with years of learning and practice, and maintaining asphalt is the same. You take all the variables into consideration and make choices that will result in a finished product that brings comfort, safety, and joy. As an asphalt maintenance business, it brings us deep satisfaction when our customers are happy, and we find an innate sense of purpose in making their lives easier. Fostering connections in the process, whether with clientele or with team members, is a happy byproduct of this work (and what keeps us going.)
Whether or not you choose asphalt professionals to take care of your properties, I urge you to pay attention to them. Tend to them. Whether that means de-icing, cleaning and sweeping surfaces, tree root management, or proper water drainage. These are all factors in maintaining your immediate environment. It is the balance between nature and civilization and its adaptation to it that is at the core of asphalt work. And if you need a professional to guide you throughout the process, we’d be thrilled to be your partner in all things asphalt!
Thinking About Starting Your Own Sealcoat Company? (Or Any Company, For That Matter…)
When does it make sense to jump in and take a shot at entrepreneurship?
Scholars have suggested that “the successful future strategists will exploit an entrepreneurial mindset…the ability to rapidly sense, act, and mobilize, even under uncertain conditions” (Ireland et al, 2003). Implicit in this conceptualization is that the origins of such a mindset are, at least in part, cognitive in nature. Studies have shown that independents rank higher across the board with personal fulfillment, time spent with family, and job satisfaction. A common feeling among those wishing to be self-employed is not being sure if one has what it takes to succeed in business, or whether such a thing would even be possible.
Despite the valid concerns that come along with taking risks, the effects of an unhappy work life are perilous. Disliking your job makes you sick; it often weakens your immune system and makes you more susceptible to disease. Alternatively, establishing a sense of satisfaction from your job is linked with better sleep - both in duration and quality. Being unhappy at work lowers your quality of life more than one would think, and studies consistently show that dissatisfaction with the occupation you have will lead to further life problems. If so, why are people so reluctant to quit their dead-end jobs?
Security is a big one. It is natural to want safety for one and one’s family in uncertain and challenging times. The social mechanisms that operate around us don’t help, either. There is constant encouragement in our culture and media to never quit or to never have free time … There is constant pressure for more and more production from one’s self. Yet this is what most of us crave: security, flexibility, motivation, fulfillment, and a lack of deprivation. This deprivation is no more pronounced than when one is mentally vacant, inundated with tasks that you have no real desire to do beyond the paycheck that follows. However, security is a false promise. The job that controls you can, in most areas, be taken away at any time for any reason. Beyond an hourly wage job, many want a salary to feel secure. Many positions have a huge cap on the salaried jobs that can’t be ignored. Is it security if you can’t pursue your passion, can never have time off, and live paycheck to paycheck? The conditions of our world, as they are, will never be ideal enough.
Arguably, there is no security even in a salaried job. The data from 2023 alone on big tech companies downsizing their staff is alarming: Meta had already fired 10,000 employees the previous fall when they announced another round of layoffs in March, firing 11,000 employees, bringing it to 21,000 lost jobs in a year. Spotify laid off 6% of its workforce in January, and in December another 17% followed. After Elon Musk took over Twitter, the total workforce dwindled from 7,000 to 2,500 in a matter of months. Data from a 2023 Life Goals Report echoed the dissatisfaction regular employees feel compared to independent workers.
2023 Life Goals Report Data: Independent Workers vs. Traditional Employees
All this to say, there is never a guarantee. If you never take a risk, it is unlikely that you will ever enjoy great success. If you avoid the risk you often avoid the reward. The same can be said for hard work, just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean you should avoid it. Complacency is not an option either, as you risk getting fired or being the unlucky recipient of the whims of an unstable economy. The only solution is to do and to take the plunge. This doesn’t have to mean that you quit your job and throw yourself into a business full-time - at least not necessarily! Many people go through a period where they work and also invest time in their side hustle, which may or may not become a full-fledged business. If you’re working forty hours a week, expect to add at least another twenty hours to that devoted to your business. Can you manage to work sixty hours a week? How long of a period will there be where you work the job and manage your business? Do you plan to transition full-time to entrepreneurship, or do you foresee a longer duration of both happening simultaneously? It is always good to do an exhaustive amount of research about the field you wish to get into, and constantly be reading and looking out for every nuance in the business from scratch.
So, be aware of the market you are planning to enter. Have a certain period that you are prepared to work both jobs. This could be three months or six months. It could even be a year or more! There is no correct amount of time. The signs that you need to commit or pull back from your new endeavor can be from missing your demand at either your day job or your new self-employment. The gaps you see where you aren’t responding as you had or should at “work” or when you aren’t able to handle tasks for your clients as well can be the signal to advance or retreat. If you don’t want to pay attention to more than one task at a time, having a nest egg saved up can help immensely. If you have 3-6 months' worth of savings, that may be how much time you can give your business full-time to succeed.
There is no formulation for success, and timing is relative. Take the plunge when you are ready to, and when it makes sense for you. No one is ever really ready. Talk to your family and loved ones, and tell them about what they should expect (most likely, a period where you have little free time to spend.) If you’re unhappy working a job, expect a difficult transition during the time you are setting up a business. Things get easier once you start doing them, and unless you do start, you will never know. The gift of life is constant reinvention. Starting from scratch is always possible. Victor Frankl, a holocaust and concentration camp survivor, once wrote: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” The desire to change your circumstances is enough to pave the way to success.
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