I was having a conversation with a wise friend last night who gave me a simple yet very valuable advise. She said: "You can always press the reset button"!
That made me think of all the entrepreneurs who have given their all at times and have only gotten no's or have gotten very little interest for all the work, energy and love they've put into creating their project. I've been there, I know how it feels!
It's very frustrating when you give, give, give and receive nothing (ok, maybe next to nothing) in return. I have had several clients tell me their biggest derailment is that they have given so much and have gotten way too little back. Together, we work on how to identify, understand and surpass feelings of disappointment and fear. The disappointment is often so enormous it stops great ideas in their tracks.
Here's the thing, as a society we are programmed to talk about and follow only success stories. They sell! They are the ones that keep us daydreaming, away from the here and now, wishing we were like X or had the brains of Y.
Startups that have bloomed "overnight" seem fascinating to us probably because of the magical quality we assign to them. If you look close enough though, you will always find a tired and still motivated entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurs who believe in themselves and their product or idea always press the reset button, even after their hopes have been shattered time and time again.
Pinterest, the new talk of the town social network, had "catastrophically low numbers" for some time, as CEO Ben Silbermann puts it. In January of this year, it was said to have 16.1 million users in the USA alone.
Brent Hoberman, cofunder of Lastminute.com didn't have the company's domain name even after having raised money for his venture. The original owner of Lastminute.com refused to sell the name. He received a "NO" four times before being able to convince the seller it was a good idea to pass the name over. Do you keep on trying even after you have received a "No"? Two "No's"? Three "No's"?
Pressing the reset button requires courage. Courage to try one more time. To try even if your idea has been scrutinized, ridiculed or simply (sometimes the hardest of all) ignored. To try even if you are tired and all you would rather do is go to a sandy beach, lie under the sun like a tough skinned lizard sipping coconut water.
On the other hand, pressing the reset button is immensely liberating! You know that however bad things might seem to be, however discouraged you may feel, you have a chance for a new beginning. A new possibility. If that fails too, you can press the reset button again, and again and again and again! Your amount of courage and energy to press the reset button is regulated by you alone, and that, is an entrepreneur's most valuable weapon.
That made me think of all the entrepreneurs who have given their all at times and have only gotten no's or have gotten very little interest for all the work, energy and love they've put into creating their project. I've been there, I know how it feels!
It's very frustrating when you give, give, give and receive nothing (ok, maybe next to nothing) in return. I have had several clients tell me their biggest derailment is that they have given so much and have gotten way too little back. Together, we work on how to identify, understand and surpass feelings of disappointment and fear. The disappointment is often so enormous it stops great ideas in their tracks.
Here's the thing, as a society we are programmed to talk about and follow only success stories. They sell! They are the ones that keep us daydreaming, away from the here and now, wishing we were like X or had the brains of Y.
Startups that have bloomed "overnight" seem fascinating to us probably because of the magical quality we assign to them. If you look close enough though, you will always find a tired and still motivated entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurs who believe in themselves and their product or idea always press the reset button, even after their hopes have been shattered time and time again.
Brent Hoberman, cofunder of Lastminute.com didn't have the company's domain name even after having raised money for his venture. The original owner of Lastminute.com refused to sell the name. He received a "NO" four times before being able to convince the seller it was a good idea to pass the name over. Do you keep on trying even after you have received a "No"? Two "No's"? Three "No's"?
Pressing the reset button requires courage. Courage to try one more time. To try even if your idea has been scrutinized, ridiculed or simply (sometimes the hardest of all) ignored. To try even if you are tired and all you would rather do is go to a sandy beach, lie under the sun like a tough skinned lizard sipping coconut water.
On the other hand, pressing the reset button is immensely liberating! You know that however bad things might seem to be, however discouraged you may feel, you have a chance for a new beginning. A new possibility. If that fails too, you can press the reset button again, and again and again and again! Your amount of courage and energy to press the reset button is regulated by you alone, and that, is an entrepreneur's most valuable weapon.
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