Is the entrepreneur alone? Four tips to navigate entrepreneurial solitude.
A priest once visited my secondary school. It now seems ages ago. Still, I vividly remember him saying: “in the fundamental decisions of our lives we are alone, deserted from all company, surrounded only by our values.”
The topic of his speech all those years ago was to warn us, the 13 to 15-year-old students, about the destructive power of drugs and how, despite all the advice received from parents or teachers, the decision to refuse drugs lies ultimately and exclusively within oneself.
His powerful statement stayed with me over time, and I have dared mention it to a few colleagues and friends in moments when it has seemed necessary or convenient, for various reasons, thankfully not related to the risk of using drugs.
In more recent times, as I explore the corners and back alleys of entrepreneurial life, I can’t help but notice that there are life choices where that period of solitude will extend and become a direct consequence of the very decision taken. As if the option were, precisely, to embark on a journey where one will be, in many ways, alone.
True enough, entrepreneurs can often feel alone, even while surrounded by loved ones and close friends.
Suppose you feel like a fish swimming against the current in your professional life. Perhaps you have an idea that can change the world, and this idea has become a loud voice in your mind pushing you to cut it lose. Maybe you envision goals and a lifestyle that is well beyond the prospects with which you came into this world. And you may sometimes refrain yourself from voicing your dreams out loud, even to those closest to you, for fear of being miss understood. If this sounds like you, then chances are you are on the visionary path. And yes, there may be some forms of solitude awaiting ahead.
This situation not uncommon among business owners and high-level executives who often endure the weight of significant risks in silence. At the same time, very few around them can understand the reasons for the stress and anxiety they could be going through, or why someone would choose such a life.
Regardless of where you are in your entrepreneurial journey or career path, here are some tips for balancing your professional self with other fundamental aspects of your life.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1) Reassure those you love: It is okay to say to your partner or spouse, I know I may have felt “absent” in the past few days, I am just working on an idea, and I promise I will share it with you when I have given it some shape and form. Trust me!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2) Develop a support system: Work to develop a support system with your immediate family or closest friend. The more they trust you, the safer you will feel when you seek isolation knowing they understand you and you can come back to them when the moment is right. But remember, support goes both ways, so don’t forget to be there when they need you.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
3) Don’t confuse creative solitude with independence: It is okay to seek periods of isolation to work on your ideas, but don’t lose sight of where you belong, chances are your entrepreneurial dreams involve sharing your success with your loved ones, so don’t forget to cultivate those relations.⠀⠀⠀⠀
4) Find a hobby that helps you release stress and, ideally, include your loved ones. Imagine that even if you have a great deal of anxiety at work, you can release it by going hiking, playing tennis, or even dancing with your spouse or loved ones? It would be a win-win, wouldn’t it?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I often find the calmness I need to reflect on my decisions and risks near the ocean. And you? Where do you go when you need to find peace and solitude?
