Hey Reader,
Startup culture is built on a lie: the myth that other founders are somehow better than you. That they know exactly what they’re doing and execute flawlessly. (𝕏)
These hero stories paint a picture where every decision was inevitable, every move was calculated, and the outcomes obvious. Nope. For everyone, it was a whole lot of chaos, guessing, hoping, and praying.
Stop holding yourself to impossible standards, stop comparing your behind-the-scenes reality to someone else’s highlight reel.
Need proof? The best tennis players in the world only win about 53% of total points played. The highlight reels don’t show the 47% - just the polished moments of success. It's always messier than it seems.
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HYPER RELATED:
Last weeks newsletter: The Dip - The exact opposite of the adrenaline, excitement & energy of the beginning. The Dip feels like a deep, personal struggle, and yet, it’s a universal founder experience
LETS GET INTO IT:
Every. Single. Founder. Even the titans you and I admire, the ones who did it, the ones who earned the right to talk from the podium, to tell their story, to teach, educate, all had that terrifying moment when they crossed from idea to action.
Everyone is f'n terrified. Some go forward anyway. Doubt doesn't disqualify you; it makes you human. Fear doesn't mean you're failing; it means you're doing something to be fearful about.
These hero stories hurt for one big reason: If you think that being a founder means having all the answers, you’ll never make the jump. The unknown is always unknown. Accept that.
These stories we listen to, from confident, visionary founders, are built on hindsight. The chaos, the guessing, the experiments, the brush with death, mostly ignored, because the truth is messier.
They skip the part where you are right now, literally no f'n clue, no guarantees, no map - just a shit ton of experiments we pray hit.
If you know that no one knows what's on the other side of that leap, and you get calm in that truth, then you know the hero move is being willing to leap without knowing.
Leaping blind (ish - not blind blind, but not all seeing), without all the answers, with an abundance of doubt, that's the real hero move. Doing it anyway.
So walk into the room with confidence, with a well-thought-out position and a strategic rationale. You need to be compelling and clear about your vision. That's not what I am arguing against, I'm arguing against your obligation to know how it all actually plays out.
Freedom?
The freedom is realizing that no ones journey is any better than yours, just because they are a few steps ahead. It's a powerful freedom that comes from owning the chaos and embracing the uncertainty.
Your story is being written right now. What does it say?
The real superpower isn't having all the answers. It's being willing to move forward without them. To build in the dark. To start climbing the staircase when you can't see the top. That's what separates real founders. Not fearlessness, but acting despite the fear.
Focus on your story. The one we are living right now. You don't need certainty. You don't need perfection. You just need the guts to keep going.
Stay. In. The. Fight.
As always, if I can be of service, feel free to grab time.
LFG.
-- James
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