It’s amazing: the freedom, the passion, the highest “highs.”
It’s awful: the distant memory of vacation days, the burnout, the soul sucking “downs.”
It’s absolutely remarkable: I am a champion, I am extraordinary. I can do it!
It’s the worst decision of my life: I am shit, I am a fraud, I can’t do it anymore.
This idea is brilliant.
This idea is pure garbage.
I understand…
I have had clients leave unexpectedly, without paying invoices. I have had ideas fail miserably; ones I’ve sunk money into. I’ve invested in people that I no longer have.
I have confronted the very real possibility that this ride was over. I considered bankruptcy.
I’ve felt completely alone in this world doing what I do, and I have cried alone in my room from the pressure of holding this ship together for myself, my team, and my clients.
I am not talking from a pedestal. I am not speaking down from the throne.
There is no avoiding this…
You will be challenged.
You will be lonely.
There will be times where there is no sign of light. You will literally confront the possibility of complete and utter failure.
But if you can take the pressure, I promise you will get through it.
You will soldier on and you will create your way out of the hole. You will find support in others.
You will emerge from the pit of despair by climbing the mountain.
The pressure of being an entrepreneur is nearly indescribable to those who have never done it. It’s an exclusive club of maniacs and dreamers, people who have the capacity to exist in the murkiest of situations, and individuals with unconquerable ambition and desire to create from nothing.
Everyone gets knocked down. Take a deep breath, assess your situation, and get back up. Use this energy to get back on track.
Because tomorrow, you might change someone’s world…and isn’t that why you started?
***
I don’t mean this to sound trite, I just know some people who might need to hear this sort of thing now and again, and I’d rather they hear it from me.
If you’ve got something to add, put it in the comments.