One Powerful Way to Make Entrepreneur Life Easier
You knew life as an entrepreneur wouldn’t be easy. You knew there would be failures and disappointments. You knew every client complaint and employee conflict and financial setback would land on your shoulders.
But even though you were prepared to not have it easy, no one could have prepared you for how hard it actually is. There is no way to fully understand the many, many ways entrepreneurial life forces a peson well beyond their comfort zone until you have lived that experience yourself.
The hardest part? Our businesses only grow if we make things even harder. That's true for you, and it's still true for me as the owner of a national franchise.
By “harder,” I don't mean “longer hours.” I’m talking about the kind of hard where we’re forced to do the things that scare us… the things that are difficult, risky, and seemingly sit well beyond our skill set.
You know... the things that force us to grow.
The business owner who hates selling has to make the cold calls. The reluctant leader has to build the team. The “gut instinct” guy has to face and interpret the numbers.
Even before that, you have to start the business. This usually means stepping outside a familiar life—a life that was working—only to be super uncomfortable about 90% of the time.
A lot of new entrepreneurs want to know how long it has to be like this. When does it ever get easier? Is “easy” even possible?
Well, yeah. It does get easier. But you have to make it easier. How?
Choose to Struggle
Seriously. If you want to stop struggling, you have to start struggling.
If you want your entrepreneur life to be easier, you have to make it harder.
In other words, you must make choices that build resilience.
Our default setting as human beings is “comfort.” When we don’t think about the choices we make, we naturally gravitate towards whatever feels familiar, safe, and predictable. We do the work we’re good at. We spend time with people we know. We avoid situations that feel risky or intimidating.
The problem is, when we spend 24 hours a day in our comfort zone, even minor discomfort begins to feel like a crisis. We get soft. We feel such a strong aversion to fear and struggle that we resist new experiences.
This is a great way to not grow… as a person or as a business.
Now, let’s look at the other side. When you step outside your comfort zone regularly:
- You discover how adaptable you are.
- You start seeing the unfamiliar as a challenge instead of a threat.
- You build trust in your own resilience.
- You broaden your understanding of what’s possible.
- You experience deeper curiosity and less fear.
Imagine where you could take your company if you built up that kind of personal resilience. Just think how you’d approach each day, regardless of what intimidating obstacles lay ahead.
Do you like this image? Do you feel empowered by the thought?
Great! Now:
Look for Opportunities to Struggle Every Day
The beauty of entrepreneurial resilience is that you build it by stretching yourself in all areas of life. Yes, you definitely should reach outside your professional comfort zone as often as you can. But your resilience training doesn’t have to just happen on the job.
For example, you might:
- Learn a language you always thought was too hard for you.
- Take a tough hike to confront your fear of heights.
- Train for a marathon.
- Finally write that book.
- Strike up a conversation with a stranger.
You can make big moves or small moves as long as you consciously move away from the familiar. Build self-awareness with each decision you make. Know why you choose what you choose. Ask yourself:
- Is this what I want? Or is it just what I know?
- Am I missing an opportunity to build resilience?
It’s hard at first. I won’t deny that. But it makes all the difference. The more I challenged myself to be afraid or risk failure in all aspects of my life, the better I became at seeing entrepreneurial challenges for what they were:
New growth opportunities.
Intriguing puzzles.
Not a big deal.
If you want to the easy entrepreneur life, you have to chase discomfort first.
So… how will you struggle today?
Further Resources on This Topic
Blog Post: The Most Effective Method for Growing Your Business
Free Video Course: Personal Development for Business Success
Free Ebook: You Grow First: Tips for Advancing Your Business Through Self-Development
Book: How to Transform Your Mindset and Become a Self-Made Success Story