How do you keep going when the going gets tough

Jennifer
19 replies
Every founder feels a sense of discouragement at one point or another in their journey. What do you do to find the motivation to keep pushing and believing in your work when the odds are not always on your side and the results are not up to expectations?

Replies

GamerSeo
You must always have a springboard from work. You can go for a walk somewhere or play a game.
Emmanuel Lefort
1. Have a good chat with your partner/backer/believer - anyone that has a positive but realistic view on your business. 2. Have a break - even if it's one day or a just a few hours. Have a long walk, let your eyes look far, empty your brain. Sometimes good ideas can pop-up. Sometimes realistic decisions also pop-up. 3. Look back, and specifically on what is working and why. Even if it's a small part of your project; that could be the stepping stone for a pivot or a spin-off project. 4. Ask someone you trust to take a fresh look at your work - I have found an immense support from other entrepreneurs in my network. They know how tough it is, and they know how to spin their comment so that it's both realistic and supportive. 5. Detach yourself - we are putting all our energy into what we believe in and sometimes it becomes too much of our "babies". Negative comments are not personal, nor are positive ones. In the end it's a business. Family and friends are much more important. 6. Share - like you are doing now. We founded Weavit 18 months ago and it's been a lot of high and lows. But having worked in a large corp for 19 years, I can tell you the highs as an entrepreneur are much more worthy that the highs there :)
Jennifer
@emmanuel_lefort1 Really great advice Emmanuel! Agreed, exchanging with partners and other entrepreneurs is very helpful, makes you feel you are not alone and it gives you fresh perspectives. My biggest takeaway from your list is to detach yourself. I learned with time that it was the healthiest way to move forward and keep an objective attitude towards the product. Still working on this though. Thanks for sharing :)
Elena Cirera
"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward." Small or big steps do not matter; we should keep on moving.
I've found trusted friends are the best place to go - and recently for what I'm building that's been the Wannabe Entrepreneur Community by @tiagorbf
Jennifer
@tiagorbf @maxwellcdavis Thanks for sharing Maxwell! is there a link to this community?
Tiagorbf
@maxwellcdavis @jennifer00 here is the link with more info: https://wannabe-entrepreneur.com.... looking forward to seeing you there. cheers Max for mentioning the wbe space
Looking back at how far you have come is usually the fire you need to keep on burning brightly into the future.
Yeshaswini
Had a similar thought the other day and I feel like I am bogged down by these discouragements rather easily. This is one of the primary things I am trying to work on in 2022. Our days are usually so packed that finding time for introspection and clarity of thought becomes even more difficult. I'd suggest you write down your goals and also write down the barriers to those. Usually our judgments get so clouded, it's good to have them in front of our eyes
Jennifer
@yeshaswini You are absolutely right, time for introspection is important and having your goals in front of your eyes is a good idea! Will give it a try. Thanks for sharing :)
Andrew E
1) Remember why I started. Go back to the beginning and retrace the motivation 2) Look at the alternatives - do you really want to be a cog in a wheel? Realize quitting is the only thing with 100% chance of failure 3) Focus on solving one problem, ignoring the others - helps ensure you don't get overwhelmed and feel like you are in fact moving up the mountain 4) I like to look at the stars and remember how small we are - helps realize these "big" problems are on a tiny spec of a tiny spec 5) I pet the dog or do something to focus attn elsewhere for 15mins 6) I remember it's a marathon, not a sprint. Play the long game. 7) I talk to other entrepreneurs or read their blogs. The mental part of this journey is the hardest part. When you realize even the successful ones went through the same pain, it makes it easier. 8) I'm open with my spouse about how I feel. They know you the best and can likely point of the things you don't see that look like winning to them. Keeping secrets just makes it harder, just don't burden them with the weight all the time. That makes it worse. 9) I think about the book: How They Started in Difficult Times, esp. the Walt Disney story. 10) I try to remember that we get but one life and failure comes not from lack of succeeding, but from never trying 11) I seek out experts to help with the functional areas that aren't going well
Jennifer
@andrew_lvlf Really great advice Andrew! Thank you for sharing!! I'll look into the book "How they started in difficult times" always love to read and learn from others.
Muhammad Ali
Looking back on something you have done is usually the motivation you need to keep going. This is my way to overcome that condition
Jennifer
@dev_concerns That's true, recognizing all you have done thus far can be a good motivator to keep going. Thank you for that reminder Muhammad!!