Quitting never feels good…
At least I hate it.
And I don’t normally use the word hate. But quitting is one of the worst feelings in the world for me.
But, I feel like I’m doing it again.
Quitting…
But I hope I can learn to let it catapult me into a stronger position.
4 years ago I set out on the entrepreneurial journey and if you read my previous article about quitting my passion the first time, you’ll know I used to ski professionally. I had a lot of fun and it provided me with the skillset to start my marketing agency and to thrive in the entrepreneurial world.
And now I might be leaving entrepreneurship to work for someone else… It intimidates me, and it leaves me feeling like I’m quitting. But I’ve come to realize that quitting is only bad if you stop your momentum. That’s why people like to use the term pivot. Pivoting can be powerful and while I feel like it’s an overused term for overly enthusiastic shiny object syndrome, I feel like it’s a powerful tool and skill to have especially as the future becomes more uncertain.
I started working for myself over 4 years ago. It’s an alluring idea. To be your own boss and to run your own business. It’s the sexy newest opportunity that culture has spun up. Well, it’s what America is built on, or was supposed to be. But it’s become a bit more of a ‘rockstar’ or ‘celebrity’ status to run your own business. It certainly can be that way but my experience wasn’t quite the same.
I mean, I flew around and spoke at different conferences. I was able to meet and consult with large hedge funds and invited to speak on stage with Akon and Kevin Harrington… It was a blast and I gained invaluable experience, but it wasn’t the rockstar experience I imagined. Maybe it’s because I didn’t fully understand what it takes to gain traction? Maybe it’s because I never systematized and never created a real repeatable business model… But I failed and now I’m quitting again.
I’ve been working with several amazing clients over the last 4 years… Amy Houlihan of Colorado 5 Element Acupuncture who has taught me how much the little things matter in business and service. Her warming presence has really helped me understand what service means at a different level.
Coverwell Custom Window Well Covers, who make the BEST window well covers in town… who have taught me what dedication and hard work can do for a business and how they’ve created hundreds of happy customers by making 1-thing extremely custom for each client…
But sometimes you get overwhelmed…
Sometimes you burnout and your passion fades.
I’m not sure when I’ll be back in the Entrepreneurial game but I don’t view it has a failure quite yet. It’s a hard pill to swallow but I’ll definitely be back. I just look at it as if I’m taking a pitstop on the side of the entrepreneurial highway in order to refuel and gas up my tank.
Resistance can build and when stress becomes too much, sometimes you need to pivot. Sometimes you need a new answer and sometimes that looks like a sideways or a backwards move…
But oftentimes if we take a step back, we see the light.
So I’m officially applying for some jobs in order to refresh my tanks and help me fill up my gas for the entrepreneurial ventures.
Who knows what’s next but sometimes quitting sucks… Sometimes it doesn’t…
Here’s to my next venture and if you’re thinking about quitting, maybe try figuring out how it can feel good… How it can serve you and what it can do for you. We need to listen to the voices that tell us that we’re fighting too much sometimes and today is that day for me. Maybe it is for you too and if it is, I invite you to have the courage to step away and find something that works.
Much love,
Scot