The Cure for Entrepreneurial Distress

“Desire demands the attainment of that which you desire, and aversion demands the avoidance of that which you dislike. Those who fail to attain their desires are disappointed. Those who attain what they dislike are distressed.” – Sam Torode on Epictetus

Oh how this applies to creating value in the marketplace.

With so many external forces at play, distress and disappointment seem to be the pandemic among creative and entrepreneurial spirits alike.

For this pandemic, we need to mask up from desire and aversion:

We can’t avoid competition, nor assuredly secure every opportunity they got. Wishing for either secures disappointment or distress with each movement they make.

We can’t guarantee our products and services will be a hit immediately, or remain so indefinitely. Trying to guarantee success either secures disappointment or distress with each venture we pursue.

What if we simply focus on our work, and on the service of our chosen audience, instead? These are things we can control… The care to listen and the will to apply what we learn toward the problems others face, methodically and indefinitely, without the desire nor aversion of things outside our control that may distract us.

Sure beats being disappointed and distressed all the time, hm?