Maintaining Perspective on the Entrepreneurial Roller Coaster

July 21st, 2009 Sean Murphy

We had a great Bootstrapper Breakfast® in Sunnyvale this morning. One of the comments from an entrepreneur who was doing his first venture and making good progress was that he hadn’t anticipated how much of an emotional roller coaster doing a startup was with “higher highs and lower lows” than his earlier jobs.

One technique you can use to maintain perspective is the “Morning Pages” approach concept from “The Artist’s Way at Work” Write three pages in longhand first thing in the morning every day. It can be stream of consciousness, a journal, a story, or even “I don’t know what to write” over and over. There are a number of good techniques in the book, but this is the best one to start with. If, like me, your handwriting skills have deteriorated to the point that writing out more than a 3×5 card is both painful and illegible you can use a typewriter or a computer, but do it in a way that it stands out from your regular work location. Write in a coffee shop or at the breakfast table or a place you can associate with this activity distinct from work. You can also do it in the afternoon or late in the day if that’s a “dead spot” but you have to do it in a way that it represents a clear break from work.

The breakfast also allow you to listen to other entrepreneurs describe your same issues, for some reason–at least for me–when I hear someone else describe a problem I am also having I am able to engage my analytic and creative problem solving skills in a way that they are not available during introspection.

Some posts related to the entrepreneurial roller coaster:

• “Hugh MacLeod’s Thoughts on Being an Entrepreneur“
• “Hugh MacLeod’s Thoughts on Being an Entrepreneur 2“
• “Entrepreneurs Need Gumption to Succeed“
• “We Don’t Encourage Individuals to Form a Startup“
• “Francis Adanza on the Entrepreneurial Roller Coaster“

Entry Filed under: Tools for Startups, skmurphy