FOUR WORDS TO FEND OFF THE ENTREPRENEUR SPIRAL: LET THEM, LET ME
Written by Jessica Murray
It was one of those spiral moments. If you’re an entrepreneur, maybe this will sound familiar.
I’d worked almost every evening, had been on the networking circuit for months and found myself another late night typing away. Catching up on emails, responding to Slack, developing content so I didn’t let marketing slip and toiling through my to-do lists.
There was so much I was doing for my business, and I found myself asking that familiar question: “Am I doing enough?”
Put differently, “Am I doing the right things?”
I started down the comparison rabbit hole (never a good idea): Others seemed to be moving much faster, that person just closed a huge deal, I wasn’t meeting the high expectations I put on myself or this business.
That’s when I knew I needed to reset.
I took a beat and zoomed out from the daily noise.
When I relieved myself of the judgment, I actually saw all the progress.
The truth was:
My business was in a much healthier place than six months prior.
I was working with the right partners and enjoying the work.
People were referring their network to me.
I had made an intentional pivot to primarily focus on new, revenue-driving activities, and it paid off.
I was being recognized for my work, building a valuable network and making an impact on my community.
As I’ve spent more time recently reflecting on this year and these moments, I’ve also thought about lessons I’ve picked up from other sources.
Not to be cliché by referencing Mel Robbins’ viral book of the year, but there are four words she uses that I do keep coming back to, not just for personal development, but also for business and leadership development: Let Them and Let Me.
In Robbins’ book Let Them, she introduces these simple words to convey a message: We have no control over what others do. However, we do have agency in our response.
In business, I think about it slightly differently:
Let Them handle their business and have their successes.
Let Me take ownership of what’s mine: creating the strategy, systems and rhythms that will allow me to propel the business forward with intention and increase the likelihood of achieving my goals.
I said it at the beginning…”Maybe this will sound familiar.”
I’m not the first entrepreneur to have these moments of doubt, questioning or isolation.
I’m not the first entrepreneur to be tempted by a shiny new object when something else feels stale.
I’m not the first entrepreneur to compare myself to peers or competitors.
I’m not the first entrepreneur to wish things moved faster.
The point isn’t to avoid these moments. It’s to remember that you hold far more power than you think. It’s in both how you respond and what you do next.
I recently came across a quote:
“You don’t improve your life by doing more. You improve it by doing less of what doesn’t matter.”
Maybe that’s the key. The real work required to build sustainable leadership and help you design a business to last. Not reacting faster, but responding better.