Startup Self-Doubt

I have a startup and sometimes I am struck with extreme panic and worry. Do you have this? What do you do about it?

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2 replies
  1. Penelope Trunk
    Penelope Trunk says:

    First of all, if you are not scared that everything you are doing is stupid then you are not doing a startup.

    The way I cope with those feelings is I redirect. I tell myself to think of something else. I remind myself that I grow mentally bored when I do not have a company that I’m working on.

    If that doesn’t work, I tell myself, what else am I going to do? Get a job? And then some days I’m like, yes, I should get a job. And then when it’s time to send out resumes I tell myself, no I don’t need to do that because I’m doing a startup.

    Penelope

  2. Jennifer Soodek
    Jennifer Soodek says:

    Start up anxiety is real. Every time we start something new, we take a risk that it may fail. I have been training teachers and parents for years, espousing that the definition of learning is trying something you haven’t done before. It is a risk. You may succeed, you may fail. But either way, learning will occur, and actually I believe deeper and more meaningful learning occurs when we fail, because then we need to strategize, think creatively, and problem solve to right the wrong.

    I am on my third start up, feeling the stress because I can’t predict the future. When I start to panic, I write a blog post, tweet, read, research, and make sure I am doing something constructive. It is a challenge, but that is what I need. So i take it day by day, and try to learn something new, reach out to someone, connect, and interact so I can network with people who are facing similar issues.

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