Can you be an entrepreneur without suffering?
We glamorize the entrepreneurial life as one of long-hours and endless strain. But is there another way?
One of my ways of drinking my own Kool-Aid as a coach is to support myself with community; one of the most powerful ways I have found of doing so is a monthly call with two other founders-turned-coaches.
One of the other guys on the call recently decided to take on a CEO role while also continuing his coaching practice on the side.
The other two of us were excited and surprised. The three of us know well how straining the life of a CEO can be.
I loved our friend's response to our surprise, "I am holding it as an experiment," he said, "I want to find out whether I am capable of being an entrepreneur and CEO from a different place where I am way less on the emotional ride."
I found his experiment inspiring and insightful.
At Sanity Labs, we help leaders every day lean into their own version of this experiment. It began with my own time as a venture-backed CEO and the ways I explored leading and creating from a different kind of place to navigate my own anxiety and burnout. The experiment here has since expanded to include dozens of clients and client companies.
What we are seeing is that entrepreneurs who are well-rested and well-supported seem to, time and again, make sounder and more creative decisions and experience greater success with less suffering.
Suffering may be a part of the human condition. But treating ourselves as slave drivers and fueling our days with anxiety and self-criticism, these elements of the entrepreneurial journey are optional.
We love meeting founders who are looking to opt-out.
If you are curious about opting out of suffering and into a thriving, tag along with us at Sanity Labs.
If we can be helpful now, please reach out.
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