Why You Are Discouraged (FS024)

So many of us get discouraged. We lose motivation, lose heart, lose direction, fizzle out, feel like impostors, scream inside our heads “what the hell do you think you’re doing!?”

Why does this happen to so many entrepreneurs? Why will you get discouraged?

It won’t happen because you don’t have the right tools or the right idea or the right network or the right skill or the right domain name or the right email subject line…

Discouragement happens when you don’t have the right expectations; what you THOUGHT was GOING TO happen was different from what DID happen.

In this episode we’ll walk you through some volatile expectations you may not know you have and share the only two expectations you should absolutely count on.

… with, of course, plenty of personal stories and colorful commentary. “Woj Bomb” makes its debut appearance. Priceless.

Quotables From This Show

Expectations can be internal or external, true or false, realistic or unattainable, those of others vs owned by you. They can also live under the surface, below your consciousness. You don’t find out about those until something goes wrong and you realize what you’ve been secretly expecting. Do the work to discover your expectations.

Show Notes

Epic Sophomore Welcome Speech:

Seth’s Blog: Good news and bad news (about the MBA) — “If this is an extension of a liberal arts education, with learning for learning’s sake, I’m all for it. If, on the other hand, it’s a cost-effective vocational program, I don’t get it.”

Zach Klein — I’m a big fan of this guy. Keep running into him near Corbett’s house in SF.

Can You Entrepreneur? What it Takes. (FZS007) — Think Traffic — “Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Is it something anyone can do? Or is there some special gene or jeans or personality trait you need?”

Henry David Thoreau Quote: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” (May be misquoted. still a good quote).

Mark Andreesen – Why not to do a startup — “First, and most importantly, realize that a startup puts you on an emotional rollercoaster unlike anything you have ever experienced.”

Star Trek Reactions — Caleb’s favorite. This reaction to Miley Cyrus’ MTV Awards Performance is classic (kinda NSFW).

Breaking The Mold On Millennial Misperceptions — this is a lil’ video my friend Josh roped me in on.

Jerry Colonna – Independent Life/Business Coach & Former VC – YouTube — a really great interview for anyone struggling with entrepreneurship.

McDonald’s Customer Breaks Window & Attacks Staff Because There Are No Chicken McNuggets (VIDEO) — the title says it all.

Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability | Video on TED.com — “Brené Brown studies human connection – our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity.”

Surprising Lessons From 100 Days of Rejection: Jia Jiang at TEDxAustin – YouTube — “Chasing your dream requires you put everything out there and deal with the consequences. When aspiring entrepreneur Jia Jiang left corporate life to build his dream company, he had no idea it also meant facing crushing rejection.”

Michael Jordan on Success and Failure: “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

First, care. | 43 Folders — PHENOMENAL article. “Before you sweat the logistics of focus: first, care. Care intensely…. consider the possibility that you’ve been unknowingly trying to “focus” on two, twenty, or twenty thousand disparate things that you don’t really care that much about. Just consider it.”