Why Entrepreneurship Is a Lonely Road to Not-So-Lonely Happiness


If you ask a very successful person why they are so successful, the most probable answer would be, “It was all because of my ambition”

Ambition, just like confidence or optimism can hardly ever be taught or passed around. “You either have it or you don’t”, said Tyler, The Creator. And at the very beginning, before you’ve even made a single penny, you are automatically being set apart from the ones who lack that “God-given” trait. 

In other words, that’s the first step to success. Big ambitions powered by hard work and talent are rare. Extremely rare. And by definition, with biological evolution, and a pinch of common sense, everything that in its nature is rare, is bound to be, well, “lonely”.  

Source: Pexels

But who’s to say that’s a bad thing with no ha[[y ending? It’s, not in the slightest. 

Let’s just take a look at kids, or middle schoolers, to be exact, as you can almost always tell apart a special kid from a not-so-special one. Smart kids, whether they love engaging with school work and high grades or not, are by definition, lonelier. 

They have hobbies, studies, and dreams that don’t necessarily correspond with their peers’ activities, which sadly almost always results in them slowly turning away from the more social aspects of growing up. To put it quite simply, they find a whole lot more value in whatever they are doing alone, marking groups, gatherings, and even friends, as “unnecessary”. 

But we’re not here to talk about middle schoolers, we’re here to talk about what happens when the abovementioned kids grow up. Or more specifically, when they finally decide to put all that ambition and talent into practice. But before we get into the nitty-gritty of it here are some optimistic words of wisdom, for a lack of a better term. 

Just because some find value in what they do more than who they’re with, doesn’t mean value itself can’t be gained with people

The biggest CEOs, artists, and creators of the world have found both inspiration in motivation in none other than the people who’ve built them: family and friends. Perhaps, before we choose isolation, we should ask ourselves this one question:

Who will we run to the second we get that first taste of entrepreneurship success? 

Exactly…

“Choosing” Isolation Over Loved Ones

Being an entrepreneur is not something that just anyone can do. It’s an obscure task, a class act if you will, that requires the utmost attention to detail. Something many people fail to do at the very, very least. 

To be fully dedicated to your craft by planning to start your business and have it be successful, you have to understand that task sadly requires a lot, and we mean a lot of isolation. For a plethora of reasons, too.

  • Getting feedback from your loved ones is great and in many cases necessary. But just like with many things in life, this, too, has a flip side. Being an entrepreneur requires your craft and revolutionary ideas to be the centerpiece of the house you’re trying to build. 
  • Outsiders’ perspectives can not only harm the creative process but can also make you unreasonably question your judgment. Respect feedback, but keep your head focused. This, as you can see, can lead to innocent but somewhat necessary self-isolation.

“Peer pressure” is something that doesn’t just disappear after high school. “You’re always working Dennis, common, loosen up a little bit and leave your mom’s basement LOL.” Even when it’s said jokingly, it’s no joke. Not a funny one, that’s for sure. 

It’s important to have some downtime to clear your head and ”touch grass” now and then. But listening to, yet again, outsiders on how you should operate your inner wishes and dreams is foolish, to say the very least.

And so, trying to avoid failure by only looking straight ahead will lead you down a successful road, that in turn, won’t have as many travelers as you’d wish, hence why we call it a lonely journey. Mostly because it’s not taken, nor understood by many. 

Nonetheless, how far is too far? Let us not detach ourselves from the people who want what’s best for us, no matter how golden that destination we’re chasing may be. 

“People change and friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody” 

In addition to being one of the best yet most simplistic quotes out there, not many people will sit down and digest the severity of the above-mentioned sentence.  To clarify, when you have goals that “shoot for the stars”, many of the folks around you have no gear to take that space trip with you, meaning you’ll have to do it all alone. 

Due to the weight of your ambitions, as well as the work required to succeed, you are most likely bound to “outgrow” some of your friends and environment. Just as much as they are bound to outgrow you in a different direction. You’ll always have care and love for them, but the connection that held that love in one place will since be broken, making you want to, well, move on.

In the middle of all of your planning, working, and space-traveling, just like the back pieces of a launched rocket, friends will “fall off” and drift away. Relatability will vanish, just like space debris, and ground control will be no more. 

via GIPHY

But not to worry, being successful and lonely has its perks too. You’ll be up there, watching the stars first row, non-maliciously looking at the crowds from the skies above. 

Just for a little while, you’ll be coming home to an empty loft, thinking whether or not the high was worth it. But that’s where most folks make the mistake of going back. We often don’t go to where it’s best for us but run straight towards what’s familiar. And eventually, that’s what will kill us, not the closeness to the Sun. 

Balancing It Out

A clever businesswoman or man will “suck it up” and take the bull by the horns by accepting the loneliness all the success has created for them. But a wise businesswoman or man will adjust the world to their personal change, not change for the world. 

You are bound to meet and relate to your new peers. Entrepreneurship sure is rare, but not non-existent. There are so many Major Toms out there, who’ve taken the same steps, lonely roads, and painful character growths just like you. So better rearrange that space mission from seeking treasure to scouting for other forms of intelligent life. 

Just because the journey was lonely, doesn’t mean the destination has to be as well.

Additionally, the nature of your job will most likely keep you socially busy, with all the meetings, conferences, and other rearrangements you’ll be obliged to be a part of. Your travels will grow your business but will also give your character a chance to meet new people and explore worlds and cultures you’ve never been in touch with before. And how on Earth could that ever be lonely

You need friends that will understand your new life, and relate to your everyday problems. This doesn’t mean you have to wave every past friendship goodbye, just that you need to wave some new faces hello too. 

Show Them You Care

On the more poetic side of the entrepreneur experience, this lonely life is easy to get used to sometimes. Depending on your industry, the sheer power of your work will most likely keep you very busy and quite tired when the dust has settled. 

In many cases, some peace and quiet are just what you need. After a lifetime’s worth of ambition, work, and hunger for something great, maybe all that loneliness will simply come down to a willful choice to be alone.  That’s very different from the abovementioned negative side of being a lone wolf. 

When you’re successful, talented, knowledgeable, and highly passionate about what you do, you naturally attract like-minded people…Without even noticing, without even lifting a finger sometimes.  

No matter the choice, one thing is certain: nothing is certain, and nothing is forever. Your loneliness of today can very well be your success of tomorrow. All you sometimes have to do is slow down, take a deep breath, and look around. Look at all the folks you’ve attracted due to that shining strive and work. 

Hey there, “lonely” entrepreneur. You never really are so lonely, are you now? Well, you’re surrounded by everyone and everything you’ve worked so hard to build. And going back to that question from the beginning, creating a full circle, who did you run to the moment you succeeded? Say hi and show some love to them every now and then, will you?

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