Entrepreneurship can be damaging
“Her life looks so easy”
“She must be making so much money”
“Must be nice running your own business, you can do whatever you want”
“He’s a boss? No surprise — all it takes is money and connections.”
Yes, social media does make it look like it, doesn’t it? The big announcements, the achievements, the milestones.
Which isn’t wrong!
We SHOULD be shouting about these things on the top of our lungs!
It’s hard work — and #sorrynotsorry, but we should not apologize for being our biggest cheerleader achieving any levels of success in this crazy lovely excruciating rollercoaster of a ride.
However, let me tell you something they don’t tell you… there’s a side you don’t see. They don’t show you the part where there are tears, fears, failures, and sleepless nights — questioning is it supposed to be like this? In my case, it’s crying myself to sleep (or not being able to sleep at all!) and casual breaks running to the bathroom for a quick cry. Believe it or not, but it’s messy, it’s life-changing, and it demands you to step up out of your comfort zone. In my own experience, I can vouch that it’s quite…. damaging.
You can interpret however you want to, but I’ll choose to go with a positive. I must!
“You wouldn’t plant a seed and then dig it up every few minutes to see if it has grown. So why do you keep questioning yourself, your hard work, and your decisions?
Have patience, stop overthinking, and keep watering your seeds.”
- Steven Barlett
I wish entrepreneurs would speak up more about this part of the process — the real and the raw.
So here I am to share my story and how I’ve ‘managed’ to cope and adapt to the development of my businesses and myself. It’s damaging and breaking me down from the person I was. It forces me to get up, piece myself back together, and come back stronger. I am not the same person as I was before this — and boy am I glad. Yes, I have changed, and thank goodness I’ve changed. In fact, that’s the goal. I aim to constantly evolve and become more aware of what works for me to continuously grow.
“Growth is painful because you’re literally shedding your old skin, thought patterns, behavior, and habits that no longer serve you. Transformation isn’t supposed to feel pretty but the glow up that’s waiting at the end is worth it.”
I felt like with what I’m experiencing, entrepreneurs out there must be going through the same; feeling lonely and exhausted.
Here are a few lessons I have learned, hoping to help anyone who’s also struggling in the entrepreneurial world. You’re not alone!😊
Well, here I go…
Must have: High motivation
Ah, yes. It’s often said that entrepreneurship requires people with ‘high motivation’. I believe that there’s a slight misconception here; yes, it does benefit if you’re highly motivated, but, I believe that the real power is pushing through when you have it the least. Being consistent about your goals and going through the excruciating process; now that’s power. It’s being so committed to progressing because you know not having the life you envisioned is not an option. You owe it to yourself to be consistent, to stay focused, to level up to the god/goddess that you are.
Trust yourself
In moments that you are not sure you’re making the right choice, remind yourself to always trust yourself. You won’t know if you’ve made the right choice or not after you’ve made it. Your goal isn’t to make the perfect decisions, it’s trusting your intuitions and learning from them. It’s trusting that you’ll take care of yourself regardless of the outcome.
Be accountable
Yes, do love yourself, but also analyze and be critical of how you think, act, and behave. This won’t work nicely if you have self-love but no self-awareness. Admit when you’re wrong and find ways on how you can do better. Be accountable.
Sit down, stay humble
In my personal opinion, humility is one of the underrated qualities of a leader. Wouldn’t you want to work with someone who understands they have limitations, take into account others’ opinions, acknowledges their own mistakes, and be sufficiently self-critical to attempt to change and get better — together??
Control what you can control
I know this may seem like the most basic advice, but trust me, it goes a loong way. Being a leader, you tend to want to have things go your way and stress out when it doesn’t. Repeat this over and over until it resonates in your mind. Control what you can control.
If it doesn’t affect your business, don’t take it in.
Tough decisions are what makes a leader
Building the team, growing the company, heading the success of the people which in turn makes you and your company a success — yes, that’s what leaders do. However, with the right set of people and when the time is right, you don’t have to do everything yourself. Simply delegate what can be delegated.
Now the real challenge is when you’re required to put your foot down when tough decisions are to be made. (You can’t delegate this!). A tip from someone who still doesn’t know what she’s doing most of the time, just. do. it. Even if your voice shakes knowing that it could all go wrong… or right. Time will tell, and we will learn and continue to move forward.
It can get lonely, and that’s okay
That’s all I can say. They tell you that you’re going to lose people who you thought you never would, and back then I shrugged it off. Now… I’d like to believe it’s just the universe working its natural selection.
All I can say is that I’m thankful for those that see me and accept me; those who water me as I water them in return. I am forever grateful for the purposeful, divine, and supportive connections.
FIND YOURSELF A MENTOR
Now, how would we know if we’re misguided and there’s nobody to point it out? How do we know what we’re doing and are we on the right track? I cannot emphasize this enough — get yourself a mentor with the experience and knowledge you can learn a lot from! This has definitely made my journey a lot easier — you’ll need someone to be that devil advocate and hopefully, clear your cloudy mind and your doubts. It’ll make this roller coaster ride less bumpy — I promise! (Shout out to my mentor — most of these learnings are from our sessions. Really appreciate you!)
Time management!!
This is a tricky one. I’m still struggling with this but I’m trying my best. I guess everyone has their own ways that work for them and planning out their days. What works for me is regularly updating my Trello and ticking them one by one based on the priority levels.
I was taught by my mentor to block my calendar which should always consist of:
- Professional work time with a breakdown of the processes/implementation/tactical stuff.
- Reflecting time (this is where no one can bother me. It’s the time of day where I need to fully reflect on both of my companies. If I’m failing at one or the other, what is it that I am doing wrong?)
- Strategic time, ideally in the afternoon. (This is when I strategize so anything tactical will be done during the day)
Sleep!
Most important I must say. Take care of yourself! You can’t run a business when you’re not feeling your best AKA sick!
“In the startup world, where execution is everything, founders need unfettered access to this essential fuel called sleep.”
- John Doerr
Don’t give up
I’ve heard this saying, that the higher your purpose, the greater your challenges. These trials and tribulations are a testament to who you are and what you’re capable of.
So… hang tight! Great things take time :)
Welp… that’s it from Vicky the 26 years old emotional — kind of going crazy but trying her best to keep herself sane entrepreneur. Thoughts or tips would be highly be appreciated. Let’s help and support one another😁
