The topic has been on my mind to write for some time now. And as I first sat down to let it all out, the words just didn’t come. So for months longer I put it aside, thinking the words would come at some point. But they didn’t. Until I saw a video that described it better than I ever could.

It was about the side of entrepreneurship that most people don’t see. A girl crying and holding her head, staring off into space, dealing with all of the emotions that come with the many lows of this life we chose.

Some of the most common things I’ve been told are “at least you can work when you want to work…you can do what you want to do…you have a passion…how incredible it must be to do what you do!”

And while yes all of that is true, it is also coupled with a vast overlay of things many don’t see. It’s the crippling doubt that things might not ever work out, fear of not being good enough, not making it, of what others think because like it or not that often plays a large factor in an entrepreneur’s success. It’s the days of no motivation only to stay up all night working towards something because you’re too hard on yourself to sleep, self sabotaging for not having the energy to get enough done earlier. 

It’s trying to find a schedule that works for you to get everything done that needs to be done while also trying to be flexible and say yes to everyone because you don’t want to miss out on life outside of this. It’s a to do list of things that are next to impossible to finish all in one day, but you write it down anyway only to be disappointed when just a few things are checked off at the end of the day. It’s figuring out how to stand up for your worth only to be asked to work for free, and you don’t want to miss out on an opportunity so next thing you know you’re working for hours, days, weeks on end for little to no pay…certainly not enough to even get by.

It’s feeling burnt out from always having to be “on” whether it’s being present on social media or looking your best in public because you’re a walking billboard for your business. It’s people asking why you don’t get a normal job instead because working for nothing just doesn’t make sense.

….but then it’s the little things that open the doors to something bigger that remind you of why you take every opportunity given. It’s the moments you never could have dreamt up and wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t say yes. It’s the words of encouragement and approval from others who see the worth in your work. It’s not having to be tied to something that takes the life out of you. It’s following your passion and being creative and making works of art that you’re proud of. It’s the peace of knowing you’re on the right path even if sometimes it doesn’t seem like it.

There will be days when you question everything, and others when it all makes sense. It’s the life of entrepreneurship. And I couldn’t imagine any different.