Here’s a simple rule to follow: If an airline pilot wouldn’t do it the night before a long-haul flight, don’t do it as a founder. No getting drunk, no staying up until 3 am, no crappy midnight snacks. As a favorite children’s book once put it, just go the fuck to sleep.
This is the time to surround yourself with a support network. You need people to act as sounding boards, to answer questions, and to solve problems. You need people to connect with and keep you grounded.
The first step in surviving the apocalypse (startup or BigCo) can be boiled down to a phrase Joseph’s father used to tell him — “when you recognize you are digging yourself in a hole, stop digging.”
I doubt you’ll read the rest of this post and have your mind blown. But I have yet to talk to a client this month who is going six-for-six on this list.
“Those times when you get up early and you work hard, those times when you stay up late and you work hard, those times when you don’t feel like working, you’re too tired, you don’t want to push yourself, but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream.” – Kobe Bryant
Find your tribe. Find the people with whom you’re comfortable removing your mask. Find others like you who feel a bit broken inside but still have the guts to change the world while dealing with all that baggage. Creating a better future is tough work, so bring friends.