Inbox recently became an Invest Ottawa Portfolio Company and a Microsoft BizSpark Startup Company, in addition to already being a member of Canada's Advanced Research and Innovation Network (CANARIE). This has gotten us thinking about the work it's taken to get where we are today. Here are 3 lessons we've learned along the way:

1. Love Your Competition

Maybe it's counter-intuitive, but we love our competition. We respect and admire them. We laud their achievements. Why? Because our competition makes us the best we can be. Have you ever watched a sprint in the Olympics? The race is exciting and adrenaline pumping, because we all want to see who crosses the finish line first. If the race were just one person running solo, there would be no point.

Here's why:

1. Your competition keeps you focused on your goals, so you don't fall behind in the race. Always keep your eyes on competition that is performing better than you. You need a competitor that achieves a standard of excellence that will help you set your pace.
2. Your competition compels you to innovate your systems, your brand and your ideas. They teach you new approaches, whether through their triumphs or their false starts.
3. They inspire you to be your best. Rather than sitting on the sidelines and watching your competition succeed, get out there and compete with them. Taken one step further, you need to aspire to do better than your competition in whatever ways you can. 

2. Stick to Your Vision

The thing with life and business is that it always changes. If you want to take get from A to B, it means sticking to B, to the destination that you've planned. There may be disappointments along the way, but that's part of the journey - and an important part of the journey:

Here's why:

1. 10,000 Hour-Rule: According to Malcolm Galdwell's Outliers, it takes 10,000 hours to master success in any field. Practice not only makes perfect, but it also makes you successful. See yourself through those 400 days and you will achieve your vision.
2. If you're traveling from Toronto to New York anything can happen on the journey - and it just may. The whole point is getting to New York. New York never changes its location. It's the same with your goals. They should always be your destination - and you should know exactly what they are.
3. Learning lessons along the way to achieving your vision will help you streamline your work. Once you've mastered a skill, it's yours forever. This will make everything easier as you move forward. 

3. Let Your Work Be Your Purpose

Maybe you've found yourself working until 2 am, or starting work at 5 am to reach your goals. It's normal to think, "Why am I doing this?" And, just why are you doing this? When we're working hard towards our goals, work makes us feel good about ourselves. We're achieving something. 

Here's why:

1. As a human being, you have the innate ability to turn your abstract thoughts into reality. In a world where you can make your dreams  come true, why not make that happen? Manifestation can only come from work. The bigger the dream, the bigger the work load, the bigger the rewards. 
2. What made Leonardo da Vinci, Ernest Hemingway, Albert Einstein, Meryl Streep, Steve Jobs and other people so famous? It's their work. These hard workers created legacies simply by dedicating themselves to their craft.
3. Imagine you're on your deathbed, an older version of yourself looking back on your life. What do you want to see? Inevitably, some of the things will be your achievements and accomplishments. From time to time, try to see about yourself as your older self looking back on your life. It may inspire you to achieve what you never thought possible.