I think you bring out a problem that many founders have. You're not really, truly off the clock. On the fitness part, I do think we know certain things like dropping off doesn't impact our self-worth, but it's hard to actually believe it. I'm kind of like that for certain things. For me, it's really faking it till I make it and keep reiterating those affirmations.
The mental gymnastics are wild, like I feel the emotion of being down due to not working out but in my mind I am telling myself that it is fine, kind of like two systems fighting each other haha.
And yeah with the entrepreneurship, as I said, I have learned there is no off button unless you scaled it to a level in which it can run without you.
Great piece Matthias, glad you put it down on writing and allowed yourself to process it. Entrepreneurship is hard, and you are right, work is non-stop. But you are doing great, keep going.
thanks Grecia, it was a little cathartic to just let it out that way, who would have thought that writing your feelings and experiences down could be this therapeutic haha
What a great piece, Matthias! The guilt you feel for doing something fun instead of working is immense. As someone who does so many different things professionally, I felt this on such a personal level. You never stop thinking about the thing you’re working on, and that can be both a blessing and a curse lol.
Appreciate you sharing your insights and your perspective. Always a joy reading your work!
you really are pulled into both directions, wanting to be a good friend but also wanting to be a good business owner, it is tough, especially because I am a firm believer that you can do it all and be all, but I guess there are limits after all.
thank you for your kind words, always a joy to see you around and trust (!!!) your newest piece is in open tab in my browser waiting for me to sit down and give it the attention it deserves
I felt all of this, I can't say I am a strong believer of my ideas but mostly I'm so curious to pursue them even when nobody believes if I can manage. Anyway your experience of going to your friends party and feeling the guilty and need to stay up to date with your project is suuuper natural, the entrepreneur curse. When I had my project on going was the same, you never stop thinking about it; what can be done next, how to improve, but it's even in some way a relief right? Cause you have something to focus your attention on, you will never feel what "boring" means" anymore. The struggle is mostly convince your friends that you you are good and can focus on them even while doing that.
Thanks for sharing your story anyway. Hope the greatest of the success with your startup as always. A presto 🫂
thank you Gianluca, I guess this is simply a new experience for me that I may get used to eventually. With my corp job I never feel this guilt, so naturally it is new for me.
I am very curious why you feel this way. And I don’t mention this without reason but I don’t have that guilt, maybe my guilt goes elsewhere but yeah. Maybe it’s because you set out allocated time to your company and when you don’t fill up those hours or set time into the thing you want you start to feel guilty.
I noticed you also mention this guilt for fitness specifically running too. And that makes total sense i mean you want to stay consistent and be present with your habits and routine.
Honestly perhaps it helps if you realize just like problems we push away or hide from we will still come back to the work and its still there.
And lol! The disclaimer for thinking well before coming into entrepreneurship, lol very apt!
And matthias you are doing amazing! But please you are also doing enough! More than enough!
thank you Samira for chiming in and these kind words. I think the guilt comes from me thinking that there is always something more I can do, even though I am already doing quite a lot. Something for me to work on. Appreciate you behind here as always :)
What stood out to me most wasn't the workload itself, but the realization that solo entrepreneurship has no real pause button. When you're the only person behind the curtain, even a happy interruption like a friend's bachelor trip or something as ordinary as catching a cold can make it feel like the whole machine has stopped.
I also appreciated the honesty about routine. The line about knowing your self-worth isn't tied to productivity, while not always *feeling* that way, is something I think a lot of ambitious people will recognize. It's one thing to understand balance intellectually and another to believe it when your momentum disappears for a few days.
The ending ties it together beautifully. *"Sometimes the mission keeps moving, and sometimes the founder needs to lie down."* That isn't a sign of failure. It's a reminder that sustainable ambition has to make room for being human.
I think you bring out a problem that many founders have. You're not really, truly off the clock. On the fitness part, I do think we know certain things like dropping off doesn't impact our self-worth, but it's hard to actually believe it. I'm kind of like that for certain things. For me, it's really faking it till I make it and keep reiterating those affirmations.
The mental gymnastics are wild, like I feel the emotion of being down due to not working out but in my mind I am telling myself that it is fine, kind of like two systems fighting each other haha.
And yeah with the entrepreneurship, as I said, I have learned there is no off button unless you scaled it to a level in which it can run without you.
thank you for reading and chiming in :)
Great piece Matthias, glad you put it down on writing and allowed yourself to process it. Entrepreneurship is hard, and you are right, work is non-stop. But you are doing great, keep going.
Thanks for sharing these encouraging words!
thanks Grecia, it was a little cathartic to just let it out that way, who would have thought that writing your feelings and experiences down could be this therapeutic haha
appreciate you being here and chiming in!
What a great piece, Matthias! The guilt you feel for doing something fun instead of working is immense. As someone who does so many different things professionally, I felt this on such a personal level. You never stop thinking about the thing you’re working on, and that can be both a blessing and a curse lol.
Appreciate you sharing your insights and your perspective. Always a joy reading your work!
you really are pulled into both directions, wanting to be a good friend but also wanting to be a good business owner, it is tough, especially because I am a firm believer that you can do it all and be all, but I guess there are limits after all.
thank you for your kind words, always a joy to see you around and trust (!!!) your newest piece is in open tab in my browser waiting for me to sit down and give it the attention it deserves
I felt all of this, I can't say I am a strong believer of my ideas but mostly I'm so curious to pursue them even when nobody believes if I can manage. Anyway your experience of going to your friends party and feeling the guilty and need to stay up to date with your project is suuuper natural, the entrepreneur curse. When I had my project on going was the same, you never stop thinking about it; what can be done next, how to improve, but it's even in some way a relief right? Cause you have something to focus your attention on, you will never feel what "boring" means" anymore. The struggle is mostly convince your friends that you you are good and can focus on them even while doing that.
Thanks for sharing your story anyway. Hope the greatest of the success with your startup as always. A presto 🫂
thank you Gianluca, I guess this is simply a new experience for me that I may get used to eventually. With my corp job I never feel this guilt, so naturally it is new for me.
Appreciate you reading and your support!
Sorry you got sick Matthias!
I am very curious why you feel this way. And I don’t mention this without reason but I don’t have that guilt, maybe my guilt goes elsewhere but yeah. Maybe it’s because you set out allocated time to your company and when you don’t fill up those hours or set time into the thing you want you start to feel guilty.
I noticed you also mention this guilt for fitness specifically running too. And that makes total sense i mean you want to stay consistent and be present with your habits and routine.
Honestly perhaps it helps if you realize just like problems we push away or hide from we will still come back to the work and its still there.
And lol! The disclaimer for thinking well before coming into entrepreneurship, lol very apt!
And matthias you are doing amazing! But please you are also doing enough! More than enough!
thank you Samira for chiming in and these kind words. I think the guilt comes from me thinking that there is always something more I can do, even though I am already doing quite a lot. Something for me to work on. Appreciate you behind here as always :)
What stood out to me most wasn't the workload itself, but the realization that solo entrepreneurship has no real pause button. When you're the only person behind the curtain, even a happy interruption like a friend's bachelor trip or something as ordinary as catching a cold can make it feel like the whole machine has stopped.
I also appreciated the honesty about routine. The line about knowing your self-worth isn't tied to productivity, while not always *feeling* that way, is something I think a lot of ambitious people will recognize. It's one thing to understand balance intellectually and another to believe it when your momentum disappears for a few days.
The ending ties it together beautifully. *"Sometimes the mission keeps moving, and sometimes the founder needs to lie down."* That isn't a sign of failure. It's a reminder that sustainable ambition has to make room for being human.
exactly. Those were the points I was trying to make, I am glad that they came across. Thank you for reading, I appreciate it :)