Does something you’re doing for your business feel really hard? Like a constant uphill battle? Like you have to hustle your face off before you make any progress?
Then quit!
…no, I’m serious. Quit.
Got an employee whose job feels like a constant struggle no matter what you do? Stop trying to make it work. They’re not a fit.
Got a marketing channel that STILL isn’t paying off, and you just can’t seem to find the right angle? Stop trying to make it work. That angle probably doesn’t exist.
Got an entire startup that can’t find that elusive “traction,” or even find the right product/market fit? Stop trying to make it work! Freakin’ QUIT, and move on to a better idea.
When I find myself struggling to “make it work” in spite of everything, that’s usually a red flag — a sign that I’m on the wrong path entirely. Because honestly, there are always so many alternatives out there that happen so much more naturally!
You know how sometimes you meet someone new, and they feel like an old friend right from the first conversation?
That’s how I want my whole life to feel. I want to to work with people who do great work, and to work on projects that I think are interesting and engaging.
That doesn’t mean there are never any struggles. That doesn’t mean there’s no hustle required, and no hard times to push through!
But in my experience, when you’re on the right path, the hard times feel a LOT different. They don’t feel like fighting to “make it work” — they just feel like a natural part of the journey. Of course there’s still struggle, and of course there’s still uncertainty! At the end of the day, though, it adds up to something that’s ultimately rewarding.
And when you’re on the wrong path? Those hard times never get easier. Every decision sucks. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel.
Whatever it’s adding up to, it doesn’t feel good.
The truth is that I don’t actually find running my own business to be this gut-wrenching, stressful, anxiety-and-depression-inducing thing. If I did, I wouldn’t be doing it! But the culture of startups and entrepreneurship has reached the point where I actually feel a little nervous — a little guilty, even — admitting it.
I’m as worried about being struck down by my own hubris as anyone, but my startup has never consumed my entire life. It doesn’t make me question myself all day or keep me up all night. And I’ve been told over and over, and am still told to this day, that this somehow makes me not a “real” entrepreneur.
(Which would be news to me — my company is doing just fine!)
So I’m writing this to publicly offer an alternative. To say you CAN do things your way, and that if a decision is going to make your life incredibly stressful, you don’t have to do it. That in fact, that probably means it’s not the right path for you at all!
That doesn’t mean there will be no wrong turns. It’s taken me 10 years and four businesses to get to the place where I actually feel like my work is really reflecting my most valuable skills! It’s a constant process, no matter how far you go.
But in a culture that romanticizes hustle, struggle, and sleepless nights, I want to offer you the radical idea that feeling good is a GOOD sign. When things work out, when they fall into place, when you actually enjoy your work every day — keep doing that! (It doesn’t mean you’re not doing enough.)
And when you’re depressed, when you’re anxious, when everything feels difficult — you have permission to quit what you’re doing and try something different.
Honest.
