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There’s a hidden emotional cost of entrepreneurship that no one wants to discuss.
It’s not glamorous. It won’t make you excited to seek funding or push through long and difficult days. But it’s honest. And based on the lived experience of successful founders.
A thread:
It’s not glamorous. It won’t make you excited to seek funding or push through long and difficult days. But it’s honest. And based on the lived experience of successful founders.
A thread:
1/ Most articles on entrepreneurship are full of hype. They emphasize quick productivity tips, glorify workaholics, and praise the pursuit of profit.
They give the impression that there are no limits—that you can work tirelessly with no emotional consequences.
They're wrong.
They give the impression that there are no limits—that you can work tirelessly with no emotional consequences.
They're wrong.
2/ There are significant emotional consequences to overworking & tolerating pressure from investors who want big returns while worrying about the health & wellbeing of your baby, your business.
These consequences impact how people relate with themselves, others, and the world.
These consequences impact how people relate with themselves, others, and the world.
3/ And if they remain unchecked, they can become toxic.
When pursued with the wrong intentions, entrepreneurship masks deeper emotional wounds that are being hidden by the social admiration of achievement and materialistic success.
When pursued with the wrong intentions, entrepreneurship masks deeper emotional wounds that are being hidden by the social admiration of achievement and materialistic success.
4/ Some people are wired for it. They want to change the world and create new categories that don’t yet exist. These people had entrepreneurial aspirations at a young age.
They were tough-minded, critical thinkers who often pushed back on authority and paved their own paths.
They were tough-minded, critical thinkers who often pushed back on authority and paved their own paths.
5/ But there are many others, a vast majority, who like the mask.
They feel powerful telling other people that they’re a founder, a c-suite exec with gobs of revenue, and that they just bought a new sports car.
They take false pride in the superficial.
They feel powerful telling other people that they’re a founder, a c-suite exec with gobs of revenue, and that they just bought a new sports car.
They take false pride in the superficial.
6/ They value their persona—how they present to others—and they want their lives to resemble the images seen on Instagram.
Often, these individuals are seeking success because they want the admiration and validation that they didn’t receive from the people that mattered most.
Often, these individuals are seeking success because they want the admiration and validation that they didn’t receive from the people that mattered most.
7/ This path of compensation leads them down a false life, one filled by other people’s values instead of their own.
It builds a disconnection between their true thoughts, feelings and dreams, and the image they portray to others to elicit a favorable response.
It builds a disconnection between their true thoughts, feelings and dreams, and the image they portray to others to elicit a favorable response.
8/ When you’re unaware of your unconscious intentions for starting a company, you’re at risk of achieving wealth and then finding yourself completely alone. Stuck, once again, with the same painful thoughts that prompted your pursuit in the first place.
Therefore,
Therefore,
9/ it's important to explore your innermost experiences.
To make sure that you are aware of what wounds need to be healed—not through wealth, titles, and cultural affirmation, but through challenging internal work that may take years to transform your being.
To make sure that you are aware of what wounds need to be healed—not through wealth, titles, and cultural affirmation, but through challenging internal work that may take years to transform your being.
10/ If you don’t start that journey now, you may get caught in the trap of material success and inner emptiness.
11/ Here’s an article illustrating these concepts in more detail using a case study based on the actual experiences of my depth-oriented coaching clients. https://medium.com/@drmatthewjones/the-hidden-emotional-cost-of-entrepreneurship-and-how-to-avoid-the-trap-of-success-and-inner-f18f187683ff
