Our society is fascinated with material success. People in the news, companies just started that are worth billions, the person down the street who drives up with a new car.
In my small company, I have been faced with many setbacks and have had to reinvent what it is we do, what we sell and to whom. There is little glamor or support from others saying “job well done”. The grind is daily. The progress is by inches not by miles.
The struggle is lonely. You feel incompetent at times. It seems like it takes forever to learn. Struggle smothers you and follows you as your shadow not only when you are awake but also when you sleep. The worries and uncertainties are constant.
The challenges in building a company from near death, back to life, and then trying to make it fly are many. The obstacles and constraints of no cash, few resources, and no help (because you can’t afford it) sharpen the dull blade of my instincts.
Building change into what was existing creates a struggle that can only be overcome with endurance, persistence, and some degree of faith. You need a strong sense of belief in yourself especially when most others doubt. For many, the struggle crushes them to abandon their efforts.
For me, I have found struggle to be an endless journey of learning and surprises. Struggle asks me to be better than I was the day before. While others rest, struggle pushes me to do a little bit more each day. It hardens the soul and brings to the surface the things that are truly important in most situations.
Make no mistake about this, struggle is very hard to endure.
The mirage of success that can be read about or watched on TV is just that — a mirage. Our view of success, when it appears, is a point in time far down the road from the struggles we face today.
Unreachable from where I sit today. Achievable deep down in my heart that doesn’t listen.