I’ve run a small business for 20 years.
I can’t remember a time I wasn’t saying, “Wait, how am I killing it? Wasn’t it just killing me?”
When you’re climbing mountains, the middle third is the true test. Down doesn’t look like progress. If you’re taking real risks, up goes into the clouds. You have to trust the peak is really there.
The last few weeks I’ve been struggling with that faith. You know what’s getting me through? Deeply, genuinely accepting my fear.
Fear plunges you in fog, jams your compass, and twists your ankle every third step. But only if you ignore it.
The most powerful business skill I’ve ever developed is feeling fully scared. Every time, when it’s gone, I make connections I couldn’t see. I’m not perfect. I still lose my way and have to reset.
But the mountain itself can’t make you stop.
Only you can do that.