Feeling stuck? 10K run, 500 words. Repeat.
Every entrepreneur who stays long enough in the game will experience feeling stuck.
Usually, an entrepreneur feels stuck when one of these two things happens. Either your current company or product is not performing the way we thought it would, and you feel like you have exhausted all your ideas to solve the problem. Or you are in between two businesses.
Entrepreneurs have a bias for action. We can't stand sitting doing nothing. When we do, we feel... stuck.
A few years ago, while I was still living in France, I decided to leave a company I had cofounded. It was time for me to do something else, and I was considering relocating to Sweden to live with the woman who became my wife.
The problem was that I didn't have a clear path in front of me.
I had no idea what I wanted to work on next. I wasn't sure if I wanted to start a new business, freelance, or even accept a job offer. None of them felt more appealing than the other.
I remember the days flying by. I remember the anxiety creeping in.
What was I supposed to do?
One day, I felt maxed out with stress. I put on my shoes and went for a 10K run by the shore. Did I mention I was living right by the ocean? Not the worst place to feel "stuck," but I obviously couldn't see that then.
When I came back from the run, I felt different. I was doing better, for sure, but some stress remained.
Probably pumped by the physical exercise, I decided to sit by the computer to write a 500-word blog post. And I witnessed the remaining of the stress vanish.
I repeated this modus operandi every day for the following weeks.
Whenever you feel stuck, you need two outlets.
A physical outlet (proven to be an effective way to reduce anxiety.) And an intellectual outlet.
Most stop at the physical one, and that's the mistake.
The next time you feel stuck, put your shoes on and go for a walk or a run. Or lift some weights. Then do something with your head. Write a blog post or help a friend who has a company.
Negative energy is agitation without excitement. You need to get rid of this bottled-up energy.
Then, it will be much easier to look calmly, peacefully, and rationally at your situation.
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