Am I in the Wrong Business, or Is This How It Is? (Feeling Resistance)

[PureA]

Just checking in to get some opinions on a mindset issue I may/may not be having.

Is it a myth that you should be bouncing out bed everyday to work on your business? I'm doing well but it feels like a grind. I have the same level of enthusiasm for business work as household chores. They get done, but I have to really have to fight to get my focus against my animal brain.

Is this how you win by showing up day after day just doing what needs to be done? Should I be feeling the resistance to work, pushing through and just getting shit done no matter what, is this success? Or is this a sign I'm in the wrong business?

To be clear if this is how it's 'supposed' to be then I have no problem following through. I would much rather have a lucrative business than a 'passion' business that makes no cash.

 

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[TheKingOfMadrid]

You won't hear this many places because everyone treats this issue as binary but: Depends on your make up.

Some creative types for example can only work if they absolutely love what they do.

Personally I always loved money, and only money. So for me it is easy to wake up at 0 everyday and hunt, it's primal for me and I always feel excited to think, dream and wake up hunting money.

Your situation is really common though, which is why most people exit for a sum at the top of their businesses as the bigger they grow the less fun they become. The fun is in the beginning in the unknown opportunities and design phases but once everything is the same process and your time is now taken and committed you feel lack of momentum and de-pression.

The cure can be to innovate or change/start a new business if you are not getting enough money IN.

 

[Success Soldier]

Just checking in to get some opinions on a mindset issue I may/may not be having.

Is it a myth that you should be bouncing out bed everyday to work on your business? I'm doing well but it feels like a grind. I have the same level of enthusiasm for business work as household chores. They get done, but I have to really have to fight to get my focus against my animal brain.

Is this how you win by showing up day after day just doing what needs to be done? Should I be feeling the resistance to work, pushing through and just getting shit done no matter what, is this success? Or is this a sign I'm in the wrong business?

To be clear if this is how it's 'supposed' to be then I have no problem following through. I would much rather have a lucrative business than a 'passion' business that makes no cash.

I love what I do...but sometimes it is hard to get up and work all day because I just get sick of it. No matter what you do even if you love it sooner or later you will reach a point you get sick of it.

Now if this is something you really don't like to do but makes good money then maybe make a plan for the future. Figure out how much money you need to start doing things you love. For example lets say you need 5000 $ of passive income each month to be "free". In that case I would work my a$$ off doing something that makes good money and get to that point as soon as possible then move to doing what I love doing, even if that what I love makes me 0 money, I still have 5000$ a month coming in.

Just an example but yes sticking with something that makes good money even if you don't like it sounds good to me IF you have an exit strategy.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I think this is just a matter of perspective. Any task can become mundane, even if you are "following passion" -- there are many days I hate writing, and I'm supposed to love it! Our brains are designed to seek constant comfort, and rightness with the world. In that case, you'd never get anything done.

The same thing goes for the working out and going to the gym ... I go, despite the fact that it would be easier to sit home and do nothing.

 

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[Johnny boy]

If you don't like work, why don't you just hire someone to do it?

I hire for the things I don't like, and I spend my time growing the business. It's exhilarating to grow a business.

"You mean if I go out and signup customers and pay a few grand for ads, I'll double my income this year, and doubled again the next? F*ck YEA!"

I love my business because it PREVENTS me from working somewhere else, where I wouldn't get away with doing nothing. I just got out of bed 20 minutes ago. It's 10:20am on a Monday. Where else could I do that and spend a month on vacation, make 10k a month and live on a lake at 24 with no degree or unique skills? I did a LOT of tough work upfront so don't get the impression I didn't do any work, and I'll gladly do more work if I need to. That's because I have MOMENTUM in my business. There's something to work for and it beats any alternatives.

You don't need to pick between a lucrative business or a passion one. I have a passion for growing a lucrative business. I spend my free time doing the fun parts of life. It's a feedback loop. I love being able to sleep in. I love being able to go skiing on weekdays all winter. I love being able to sit out on my dock and sip mojitos and tan with my girlfriend. I love riding my motorcycle to the gym in the middle of a summer day. I love when someone asks if I'm free on a certain day and I sarcastically say "I'll ask the boss". I love it so much that I'll do whatever it takes to grow my business and keep the wheels rolling. Every day is a Saturday so I love working to make sure a normal person's Monday never comes.

 

[Mike Stoian]

What you're experiencing some call 'Resistance'.

Resistance to change. Resistance to the new diet, to the new wake-up routine, to the new habit, to the entrepreneurial pursuit. It's our brain's way of resisting change and anything that's not familiar and pleasant. It's also the resistance against anything that doesn't give you the most amount of dopamine with the lowest amount of pain.

It's the drudgery, the monotone, the uncomfortable and the downright pain you feel at times. A lot of people have it. Even some of the most passionate people in the world.

Take me for example. I LOVE to code. Love it so much I could do it for free. Or at least that's what I was telling myself for 2 years before I got hired to code professionally. Now, after hundreds of days where I wake up and code from 9 am to 5 pm, I've started to hate it. I barely code at all in my free time nowadays.

There's a reason hobbies and work are separate. Be forced to do your hobby for 8 hours a day every day and you'll hate it. Whatever it might be.

The best advice I have is to work through it. Facing Resistance is like a daily battle. A daily exercise which strengthens the discipline muscle. It's hard but it only gets easier with time.

ps: Some say you should pursue Resistance. If you feel it, you're on the right track. I don't know. I'm just some idiot on the internet.

 

[peterb0yd]

Oh man, your question hits close to home. I've found this "grind" feeling occurs in every business project I've ever started. It starts creeping in around the 2-3 month mark. For me, I've decided that I need to be doing the project to work toward a bigger mission. Therefor, I reflected on my values, chose an aligned mission and then looked for business projects that worked toward that mission.

It was a tough process of self-reflection to choose my current mission. It's a big mission. It might take a lifetime and an army to achieve.

My previous projects were fueled by cool tech or the pursuit of money. The driving reason behind any project can be determined by asking yourself, "why am I doing this?"

Also, sometimes the "grind" feeling happens because you're doing something ineffectively but don't yet realize it. It helps to take a break to take your mind off things for a day or so, then come back to the problem with a clear head. This is where having a good social group and hobbies helps. Reading autobiographies of successful entrepreneurs is helpful as well. "Shoe Dog" (Phil Knight) and "Losing My Virginity" (Richard Branson) are some of the best I've read.

 

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[Walter Hay]

Your situation is really common though, which is why most people exit for a sum at the top of their businesses as the bigger they grow the less fun they become.

I exited at the top of my first business for two main reasons.

1. Government regulations were becoming more onerous. I was running my industrial chemical business from home on a small acreage, and it was becoming more and more apparent that to comply with the rules I would have to move the factory to an industrial area, and commute to work!!!!

2. The enjoyment of growing a business was fading. I had built it through industrial troubleshooting, and at least once a week a manufacturer called me in to solve a problem.

Readers will understand the thrill for a high school dropout with no qualifications being able to solve a problem that was costing a huge multinational millions of dollars a day. They had 300 chemists in more than 20 factories worldwide, and knowing my reputation they called on me for help. It took me nearly a week to come up with a formula and method of application that worked perfectly.

BUT finally..... After nearly 20 years I had seen it all, and I had reached the stage where I could walk into almost any factory, and solve their big manufacturing problem at a glance. There was no fun in that, only money.

So I sold out and immediately started a new but totally different B2B business.

Walter
P.S. If that big business had known that unlike their 300 chemists I had no letters after my name, they would not have bothered to call me, despite my reputation.

 

[Deleted78083]

They had 300 chemists in more than 20 factories worldwide, and knowing my reputation they called on me for help. It took me nearly a week to come up with a formula and method of application that worked perfectly.

What made you better than those guys? Was it the fact you were smarter? Did you have other working methods? Better education? Did you work harder? Or you had a different mindset, a different method to solve a problem? Or was it passion for chemistry and problem-solving? Or "just" the fact you never gave up, which I assume, they did?

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

How do you want to feel every day?

 

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[sparechange]

Just checking in to get some opinions on a mindset issue I may/may not be having.

Is it a myth that you should be bouncing out bed everyday to work on your business? I'm doing well but it feels like a grind. I have the same level of enthusiasm for business work as household chores. They get done, but I have to really have to fight to get my focus against my animal brain.

Is this how you win by showing up day after day just doing what needs to be done? Should I be feeling the resistance to work, pushing through and just getting shit done no matter what, is this success? Or is this a sign I'm in the wrong business?

To be clear if this is how it's 'supposed' to be then I have no problem following through. I would much rather have a lucrative business than a 'passion' business that makes no cash.

This is a very simple problem to solve, hire someone to do the work you don't care for and focus on the bigger picture. Check out the E-Myth, work ON your business... not IN it.

 

[Walter Hay]

What made you better than those guys? Was it the fact you were smarter? Did you have other working methods? Better education? Did you work harder? Or you had a different mindset, a different method to solve a problem? Or was it passion for chemistry and problem-solving? Or "just" the fact you never gave up, which I assume, they did?

Their problem was that their knowledge was theoretical and they were bound by the rules of chemistry. My knowledge was all practical, learned by observation and deduction.

I had observed some basic stuff when working as a sales representative for a small, highly specialized chemical company that gave me the job because a) I convinced them that I could handle it, and b) because their business was so specialized they had no hope of finding someone with relevant chemical experience.

That employer was also one eyed, totally unwilling to consider my suggested product improvements. I had discussed those ideas with the factory chemist, and although his English was extremely poor, he could see what I was getting at, and agreed that I had some good ideas.

Once I got the urge to start my own business I contacted numerous suppliers of raw materials, and obtained technical data sheets from them. There was a light bulb moment after reading all that stuff. I realized there was a basic reason why certain raw materials would have the desired effect in the main industrial process that I had been selling to. Those chemicals were not used in the products that I had been selling.

In effect I had by observation made a theoretical law that explained a particular chemical action in a number of manufacturing industries. From then on, all I had to do when testing new formulas was to look for ingredients that satisfied my new law.

Finally I must add that much of my laboratory testing of new products to solve manufacturing problems was no more than trial and error. My most difficult project involved nearly 40 tests, each involving a variation on my original trial formula.

Walter

 

[Bekit]

Just checking in to get some opinions on a mindset issue I may/may not be having.

Is it a myth that you should be bouncing out bed everyday to work on your business? I'm doing well but it feels like a grind. I have the same level of enthusiasm for business work as household chores. They get done, but I have to really have to fight to get my focus against my animal brain.

Is this how you win by showing up day after day just doing what needs to be done? Should I be feeling the resistance to work, pushing through and just getting shit done no matter what, is this success? Or is this a sign I'm in the wrong business?

To be clear if this is how it's 'supposed' to be then I have no problem following through. I would much rather have a lucrative business than a 'passion' business that makes no cash.

Yeah, it's a myth.

Would it be NICE to bounce out of bed every day to work on your business with a spring in your step and a song in your heart?

Absolutely.

But does everyone experience that?

Nope.

Feeling the resistance to work, and then working anyway, is the essence of discipline.

Discipline will take you a lot farther than motivation or soaring feelings of bliss.

Part of the reason why so few people succeed is because when hit that wall where they Just. Have. To. Keep. Putting. One. Foot. In. Front. Of. The. Other.

And they quit.

With that being said, it's worth looking into whether there are certain things that are making your daily grind feel more like slogging through a peanut butter swamp than it needs to.

Identify the feelings you have around your work and then ask yourself, "What would it take to turn this feeling around?"

Examples from my own experience:

"I feel frustrated a lot."

• How can I turn this around?
• Oh, I'm constantly frustrated because I'm no good at setting boundaries.
• So let me work on getting better at that.

"I feel so unmotivated."

• How can I turn this around?
• Hmm, one thing I find really motivating is hearing positive feedback.
• Ok, can I build a system so that I hear more positive feedback?

"I feel like there's too much to do and not enough time to do it."

• How can I turn this around?
• Maybe I need some better time management systems.
• Maybe I also need to write down EXACTLY what I need to do and EXACTLY how much time I need to do it.

Etc.

 

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[Deleted78083]

Their problem was that their knowledge was theoretical and they were bound by the rules of chemistry. My knowledge was all practical, learned by observation and deduction.

I had observed some basic stuff when working as a sales representative for a small, highly specialized chemical company that gave me the job because a) I convinced them that I could handle it, and b) because their business was so specialized they had no hope of finding someone with relevant chemical experience.

That employer was also one eyed, totally unwilling to consider my suggested product improvements. I had discussed those ideas with the factory chemist, and although his English was extremely poor, he could see what I was getting at, and agreed that I had some good ideas.

Once I got the urge to start my own business I contacted numerous suppliers of raw materials, and obtained technical data sheets from them. There was a light bulb moment after reading all that stuff. I realized there was a basic reason why certain raw materials would have the desired effect in the main industrial process that I had been selling to. Those chemicals were not used in the products that I had been selling.

In effect I had by observation made a theoretical law that explained a particular chemical action in a number of manufacturing industries. From then on, all I had to do when testing new formulas was to look for ingredients that satisfied my new law.

Finally I must add that much of my laboratory testing of new products to solve manufacturing problems was no more than trial and error. My most difficult project involved nearly 40 tests, each involving a variation on my original trial formula.

Walter

So you got a "PhD" in chemistry out of doing sales for a chemical company?

It's impressive. I deduct from your story that:

- Academic learning may give you a framework that traps you and prevents you from thinking outside the box. These trained chemists failed, and you did not.
- When one is open-minded, willing to learn, and willing to fail, one can achieve anything.

This has completely reset my mindset. I didn't think I could just learn science on my own. Now, I do.

Thank you : )

 

[WJK]

Just checking in to get some opinions on a mindset issue I may/may not be having.

Is it a myth that you should be bouncing out bed everyday to work on your business? I'm doing well but it feels like a grind. I have the same level of enthusiasm for business work as household chores. They get done, but I have to really have to fight to get my focus against my animal brain.

Is this how you win by showing up day after day just doing what needs to be done? Should I be feeling the resistance to work, pushing through and just getting shit done no matter what, is this success? Or is this a sign I'm in the wrong business?

To be clear if this is how it's 'supposed' to be then I have no problem following through. I would much rather have a lucrative business than a 'passion' business that makes no cash.

There's a big difference between the start-up phase and managing a day-to-day business. Yes, the day-to-day stuff is a grind. It's boring, detail orientated, and repetitious. A lot of people can't take that grind. They must go out and start something else new to get that emotional rush. And the bottom line is that they always seem to end up broke, looking for start-up money. Do you want to make money? If you do, you're probably in the right place.

 

[Walter Hay]

So you got a "PhD" in chemistry out of doing sales for a chemical company?

It's impressive. I deduct from your story that:

- Academic learning may give you a framework that traps you and prevents you from thinking outside the box. These trained chemists failed, and you did not.
- When one is open-minded, willing to learn, and willing to fail, one can achieve anything.

This has completely reset my mindset. I didn't think I could just learn science on my own. Now, I do.

Thank you : )

You are right. "When one is open-minded, willing to learn, and willing to fail, one can achieve anything." This sums it up well.

In my role as a troubleshooter I saw many trained engineers working with blinkers on. I had several instances of such people who knew my reputation calling on me for a chemical solution to their problem, but I could see that the problem was primarily a minor engineering one.

My procedure then was to offer a solution that involved both, so that they didn't lose face.

Being introspective I find it interesting that with those problem solving skills, I am struggling when it comes to building a website. In this case I don't want to learn, so maybe I should take a dose of my own medicine and be "open-minded, willing to learn."

Walter

 

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[Deleted78083]

There's a big difference between the start-up phase and managing a day-to-day business. Yes, the day-to-day stuff is a grind. It's boring, detail orientated, and repetitious. A lot of people can't take that grind. They must go out and start something else new to get that emotional rush. And the bottom line is that they always seem to end up broke, looking for start-up money. Do you want to make money? If you do, you're probably in the right place.

There was a book that talked about this (The Startup Owner Manual or something like that). They said a founder's role was completely different than a CEO's role when the company was up and running. While one is searching for a business model and customers, the other must keep customers and make sure the work gets done.

 

[Walter Hay]

There's a big difference between the start-up phase and managing a day-to-day business. Yes, the day-to-day stuff is a grind. It's boring, detail orientated, and repetitious. A lot of people can't take that grind. They must go out and start something else new to get that emotional rush. And the bottom line is that they always seem to end up broke, looking for start-up money. Do you want to make money? If you do, you're probably in the right place.

It's true that many businesses are started up by people who think it is a sprint, not a marathon.

I have seen plenty of failures in my time, but the one that had the biggest impact on me emotionally was the failure by the cashed up consortium that bought my industrial chemical business. The huge merchant bank partnered with a qualified chemist who had been a senior executive in a large industrial chemical business.

The bank gave him free rein because of his qualifications and experience, but they knew nothing of his mindset. He enjoyed the high life, with first class air travel, staying in 5 star hotels.

My business had been exporting to countries all over the Asia Pacific region and his brief from the bank was to expand by selling in other countries also.

He travelled the world, as I used to except that my trips were as brief as possible. Leaving home Monday, returning Friday. I had a business to run - customers to satisfy - deal with new enquiries coming in from many countries. I could not be away for long. He was away for months and existing customers were neglected.

The business closed down within a year.

Walter

 

[WJK]

It's true that many businesses are started up by people who think it is a sprint, not a marathon.

I have seen plenty of failures in my time, but the one that had the biggest impact on me emotionally was the failure by the cashed up consortium that bought my industrial chemical business. The huge merchant bank partnered with a qualified chemist who had been a senior executive in a large industrial chemical business.

The bank gave him free rein because of his qualifications and experience, but they knew nothing of his mindset. He enjoyed the high life, with first class air travel, staying in 5 star hotels.

My business had been exporting to countries all over the Asia Pacific region and his brief from the bank was to expand by selling in other countries also.

He travelled the world, as I used to except that my trips were as brief as possible. Leaving home Monday, returning Friday. I had a business to run - customers to satisfy - deal with new enquiries coming in from many countries. I could not be away for long. He was away for months and existing customers were neglected.

The business closed down within a year.

Walter

My point exactly. Running a business day-to-day is a lot of planned and well-executed work. It's a routine. It's a total grind. It is a concentrated effort.

 

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[Bekit]

I exited at the top of my first business for two main reasons.

1. Government regulations were becoming more onerous. I was running my industrial chemical business from home on a small acreage, and it was becoming more and more apparent that to comply with the rules I would have to move the factory to an industrial area, and commute to work!!!!

2. The enjoyment of growing a business was fading. I had built it through industrial troubleshooting, and at least once a week a manufacturer called me in to solve a problem.

Readers will understand the thrill for a high school dropout with no qualifications being able to solve a problem that was costing a huge multinational millions of dollars a day. They had 300 chemists in more than 20 factories worldwide, and knowing my reputation they called on me for help. It took me nearly a week to come up with a formula and method of application that worked perfectly.

BUT finally..... After nearly 20 years I had seen it all, and I had reached the stage where I could walk into almost any factory, and solve their big manufacturing problem at a glance. There was no fun in that, only money.

So I sold out and immediately started a new but totally different B2B business.

Walter
P.S. If that big business had known that unlike their 300 chemists I had no letters after my name, they would not have bothered to call me, despite my reputation.

Their problem was that their knowledge was theoretical and they were bound by the rules of chemistry. My knowledge was all practical, learned by observation and deduction.

I had observed some basic stuff when working as a sales representative for a small, highly specialized chemical company that gave me the job because a) I convinced them that I could handle it, and b) because their business was so specialized they had no hope of finding someone with relevant chemical experience.

That employer was also one eyed, totally unwilling to consider my suggested product improvements. I had discussed those ideas with the factory chemist, and although his English was extremely poor, he could see what I was getting at, and agreed that I had some good ideas.

Once I got the urge to start my own business I contacted numerous suppliers of raw materials, and obtained technical data sheets from them. There was a light bulb moment after reading all that stuff. I realized there was a basic reason why certain raw materials would have the desired effect in the main industrial process that I had been selling to. Those chemicals were not used in the products that I had been selling.

In effect I had by observation made a theoretical law that explained a particular chemical action in a number of manufacturing industries. From then on, all I had to do when testing new formulas was to look for ingredients that satisfied my new law.

Finally I must add that much of my laboratory testing of new products to solve manufacturing problems was no more than trial and error. My most difficult project involved nearly 40 tests, each involving a variation on my original trial formula.

Walter

You are right. "When one is open-minded, willing to learn, and willing to fail, one can achieve anything." This sums it up well.

In my role as a troubleshooter I saw many trained engineers working with blinkers on. I had several instances of such people who knew my reputation calling on me for a chemical solution to their problem, but I could see that the problem was primarily a minor engineering one.

My procedure then was to offer a solution that involved both, so that they didn't lose face.

Being introspective I find it interesting that with those problem solving skills, I am struggling when it comes to building a website. In this case I don't want to learn, so maybe I should take a dose of my own medicine and be "open-minded, willing to learn."

Walter

It's true that many businesses are started up by people who think it is a sprint, not a marathon.

I have seen plenty of failures in my time, but the one that had the biggest impact on me emotionally was the failure by the cashed up consortium that bought my industrial chemical business. The huge merchant bank partnered with a qualified chemist who had been a senior executive in a large industrial chemical business.

The bank gave him free rein because of his qualifications and experience, but they knew nothing of his mindset. He enjoyed the high life, with first class air travel, staying in 5 star hotels.

My business had been exporting to countries all over the Asia Pacific region and his brief from the bank was to expand by selling in other countries also.

He travelled the world, as I used to except that my trips were as brief as possible. Leaving home Monday, returning Friday. I had a business to run - customers to satisfy - deal with new enquiries coming in from many countries. I could not be away for long. He was away for months and existing customers were neglected.

The business closed down within a year.

Walter

Walter, your stories are always so inspiring. Every time I read your posts, there's something more to learn.

What are the challenges you're running into with your website build?

 

[Walter Hay]

Walter, your stories are always so inspiring. Every time I read your posts, there's something more to learn.

What are the challenges you're running into with your website build?

Thanks for your kind words. In answer to your question: I don't have a clue what I am doing.

I know that I should be designing the site on a theme, and I signed up for Namecheap's "EasyWP" hosting, but having chosen a theme I was immediately intimidated by the EasyWP "Knowledgebase" with its 42 subjects, many of which might as well be in a foreign language.

Don't get me wrong. Namecheap provide the most incredible support, and over the years they have helped me enormously with mainly domain administrative tasks that I struggled with. My problem now is that I don't even know what to ask.

I have never built a website, but my son-in-law for whom this site is my brainchild, once built a very workable one on Wix. It is no longer online because Wix is not suitable for use as a T Shirt store and he is certainly not able to build anything beyond the one page Wix site that is now defunct.

I explored the idea of paying a developer but my main concern was allowing access to my Namecheap account and my son-in-law's PayPal account so that it can be used as the payment gateway.

The idea behind using a Wordpress.org theme is simplicity for either of two amateurs in making additions or changes.

Maybe you could recommend someone?

Walter
P.S. There will be at least 25 product images that when clicked will reveal a small text box describing the background to the image.

 

[Bekit]

Thanks for your kind words. In answer to your question: I don't have a clue what I am doing.

I know that I should be designing the site on a theme, and I signed up for Namecheap's "EasyWP" hosting, but having chosen a theme I was immediately intimidated by the EasyWP "Knowledgebase" with its 42 subjects, many of which might as well be in a foreign language.

Don't get me wrong. Namecheap provide the most incredible support, and over the years they have helped me enormously with mainly domain administrative tasks that I struggled with. My problem now is that I don't even know what to ask.

I have never built a website, but my son-in-law for whom this site is my brainchild, once built a very workable one on Wix. It is no longer online because Wix is not suitable for use as a T Shirt store and he is certainly not able to build anything beyond the one page Wix site that is now defunct.

I explored the idea of paying a developer but my main concern was allowing access to my Namecheap account and my son-in-law's PayPal account so that it can be used as the payment gateway.

The idea behind using a Wordpress.org theme is simplicity for either of two amateurs in making additions or changes.

Maybe you could recommend someone?

Walter
P.S. There will be at least 25 product images that when clicked will reveal a small text box describing the background to the image.

That's completely understandable! I am not a developer or a designer, so I can relate to feeling lost when it comes to working in WordPress. However, I've managed to put up a WordPress site on a few occasions. What got me through the fog was taking the WordPress video course at Team Treehouse. I took the course back in 2015 or 2016, so I can't speak to the current quality of their videos, but at the time, it was a super well-done introduction to WordPress at just the right pace to help me feel "grounded" and no longer compleeeeeetely lost. It was probably only 2 hours total (so you can probably get through the whole thing during their 7-day free trial). At the end, I felt like I understood what to do in WordPress at a general level (and I could google the answers to questions from there for specific things).

If you don't want to do it yourself, I can certainly recommend some trustworthy people to you.

 

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[Marigold]

Just checking in to get some opinions on a mindset issue I may/may not be having.

Is it a myth that you should be bouncing out bed everyday to work on your business? I'm doing well but it feels like a grind. I have the same level of enthusiasm for business work as household chores. They get done, but I have to really have to fight to get my focus against my animal brain.

Is this how you win by showing up day after day just doing what needs to be done? Should I be feeling the resistance to work, pushing through and just getting shit done no matter what, is this success? Or is this a sign I'm in the wrong business?

To be clear if this is how it's 'supposed' to be then I have no problem following through. I would much rather have a lucrative business than a 'passion' business that makes no cash.

Two weeks ago I wanted to spend every waking hour on my businesses. Today and for the last few days, I've lost my mojo. It's been like that for two years. Peaks and troughs. I find it's to do with all kinds of things but perfectly normal. I echo some of the threads I've read here that doing the business side of things isn't the hardest part by miles, it's the mindset and motivation around keeping going.

I've literally wanted to quit about 100 times. I just keep going, some days doing the bare minimum just to make sure I do something. Then it comes back and I'm inspired and motivated again.

My muse is a fickle bitch.

 

[Deleted78083]

Being introspective I find it interesting that with those problem solving skills, I am struggling when it comes to building a website.

Ok, you are widely successful businessman and I'm just a 26-year-old trying to make it work as a copywriter, but this story may still inspire you.

When I was 18, I took accounting classes which traumatize me.

I left to go study communication instead (lol), swearing to never go back to accounting.

6 years later, I enrolled in a master's in management. I didn't have one accounting classes, but two.

As I felt I was about to climb the Everest, I prepared as such: I cleaned up my schedule and dedicated the following two weeks of my life to understanding accounting.

The beginning was hard, then I understood the principle behind Asset = liability + equity.

I made a summary with an explanation of the double-entry principle and everyone in my master used it.

I passed both exams.

In September 2020, I decided to teach myself how to build wordpress websites. I had already a blog with a theme so I kinda knew how wordpress worked. But this time, I wanted to build the website from the ground up.

I decided to learn Elementor. It took me 6 hours of Youtube videos to understand how their freaking drag and drop system worked. But once I understood the principles, it all made sense!

This experience taught me I could eventually learn anything if I forced myself to, except for science...until I read your message above : P

There is a book called "the first 20 hours" which outlines how it takes 20 hours to become average at anything. That completely changed my mindset regarding learning and I became addicted to it.

Hope this helps.

 

[WJK]

Two weeks ago I wanted to spend every waking hour on my businesses. Today and for the last few days, I've lost my mojo. It's been like that for two years. Peaks and troughs. I find it's to do with all kinds of things but perfectly normal. I echo some of the threads I've read here that doing the business side of things isn't the hardest part by miles, it's the mindset and motivation around keeping going.

I've literally wanted to quit about 100 times. I just keep going, some days doing the bare minimum just to make sure I do something. Then it comes back and I'm inspired and motivated again.

My muse is a fickle bitch.

So, you're normal. I just make sure that I do 3 things toward my business success every day. I write them on my whiteboard located over my desk. When they are marked off, I'm free for the rest of the day. Some days they are heavy lifts and some days they are small token projects. I choose my 3 by how much energy I have to spend that day. Steady progress wins the race.

 

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[Walter Hay]

So, you're normal. I just make sure that I do 3 things toward my business success every day. I write them on my whiteboard located over my desk. When they are marked off, I'm free for the rest of the day. Some days they are heavy lifts and some days they are small token projects. I choose my 3 by how much energy I have to spend that day. Steady progress wins the race.

That's a good system. When I was operating my own business I did something similar, but it was more extreme.

Every week or two I would sit down and write in random order a list of all the things that needed doing. Then I would actually think about each and number them in order of priority. The sequence changed as I progressed and as I decided that job#5 was much more urgent than job#2, I altered #5 to #1 position.

Eventually I had a list in real order of priority and I treated it seriously. Achievement of all of those little goals became a self imposed challenge. To serve as a reminder to highlight the stupidity of procrastination I printed and posted on the wall a sign: TOMORROW I am going to get organized.

Thanks @mon_fi, I will get my brain organized and actually learn something that I don't want to learn.

Walter

 

[SammyGlick]

@PureA - I think the resistance you are feeling is totally normal. I would highly recommend 'Do the Work' or 'The War of Art' by Steven Pressfield. Both books convery the same message but the former is shorter than the latter.

I don't know if Pressfield coined the term 'resistance' to describe the intertia we all encounter when trying to do important work but he certainly popularised it. I read The War of Art about once a year to help shake the cobwebs off.

On a personal note, I can relate to what your experiencing - there are lots of business tasks I know I need to complete but I just keep procrastinating. In my case, most of the procrastination is ultimately about a fear of failure.

This might sound trite but I believe the only real failure is not showing up to do your work. I tend to procrastinate over work that has the most uncertain returns (e.g. I'm just getting started building an affiliate program right now) or where I don't really know what I'm doing (again - building an afiliate program). I wonder if your experience is similar?

What I'm slowly internalising is that even if I put effort into something that doesn't work, the learning still brings me closer to my goals.