How to love the journey, even when it's difficult

Zaire Allen

I thought I'd write something to my future self today.

I woke up to a few notifications about missed direct debits and all sorts of other issues—the type of negativity you don't want to start your day with. But, stoically, I realized I had the option to try to fix it, so it's not worth giving much energy to.

A quote from Elon Musk came to mind: "Being an entrepreneur is like eating glass and staring into the abyss of death."

If you pursue a challenge, you will always feel like this. Eating glass is a rite of passage in this game. The moment it stops feeling like this is when you need to reassess your options and possibly abort the mission.

So, to the point of the title of this post. Knowing myself, I don't think I enjoy the journey because it's glamorous. If anything, I'm frustrated by it. I think the burden of not achieving something with all my energy is why I pursue grand visions.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), I'm a high-energy individual. I need somewhere or something intellectually stimulating. I'm lucky that building businesses is also financially rewarding.

I'm at peace with entrepreneurship. Watching yourself fail at something is partly amusing. You will fail a lot in this game, but one win is all it takes to turn things around. Whether that's a payment from a customer, a demo call, or even some social engagement for an idea.

Remind yourself that there's always another chance to win. That's how you stay in love with the journey.

Zaire Allen

Zaire Allen

Product Design Engineer

New York City

Ex-Founder Love Circular—an edtech startup that launched tech careers. $2M+ Revenue, 400 Designers placed in first job, $30M in salaries 2024.

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