As a startup founder you definitely face a time when you’re lying on the bed but you can’t sleep. You are thinking why you’re struggling in the day time. Why a dumbass on Earth would abandon a good job, a stable life to the hell like this.
About The Struggle
Life is struggle.
—Karl MarxThe Struggle is when you wonder why you started the company in the first place.The Struggle is when people ask you why you don’t quit and you don’t know the answer.
The Struggle is when your employees think you are lying and you think they may be right.
The Struggle is when food loses its taste.
The Struggle is when you don’t believe you should be CEO of your company. The Struggle is when you know that you are in over your head and you know that you cannot be replaced. The Struggle is when everybody thinks you are an idiot, but nobody will fire you. The Struggle is where self-doubt becomes self-hatred.
The Struggle is when you are having a conversation with someone and you can’t hear a word that they are saying because all you can hear is The Struggle.
The Struggle is when you want the pain to stop. The Struggle is unhappiness.
The Struggle is when you go on vacation to feel better and you feel worse.
The Struggle is when you are surrounded by people and you are all alone. The Struggle has no mercy.
The Struggle is the land of broken promises and crushed dreams. The Struggle is a cold sweat. The Struggle is where your guts boil so much that you feel like you are going to spit blood.
The Struggle is not failure, but it causes failure. Especially if you are weak. Always if you are weak.
Most people are not strong enough.
Every great entrepreneur from Steve Jobs to Mark Zuckerberg went through The Struggle and struggle they did, so you are not alone. But that does not mean that you will make it. You may not make it. That is why it is The Struggle.
The Struggle is where greatness comes from.
Abstract from The Hard Thing about Hard Things – http://www.bhorowitz.com/the_struggle
Well I have been facing this situation numerous times in my startup life. It’s another sleepless night again. There will be another sales meeting in the morning. And I just wanna fuck everything up.
I will spend such bedtime after I get up from my bed:
1. Write a blog post
What is better than moaning on a blog no one gonna read? It’s my secret tree hole to bury unhappiness. If you don’t want to spread your negative energy to your colleagues, it’s a good way to drop it here.
2. Listen to music
I like pop music talking about Zen when I feel stuffy. Zen talks about karma. What happened on you always has a reason. Pain, Happiness, Desperation, Anger, … are essences of life. No one can escape from it so you should better learn to accept them. As a startup founder you can only control the process but not the result. Sometimes it just can’t happen as your plan.
3. Practise mindfulness
After a day of work it’s a great chance to clear the shit in your mind. Try to not think of anything for 5 – 10 minutes. Focus on the moment you’re listening to your inner self.
4. Read a boring book
There is always a lullaby book beside my pillow. You know you finally need to get some sleep, right?
