When I was starting Crisp, I could not even imagine spending another day in my current situation.
I was broke as hell. I had no team. I had no support. I was working 100+ hours a week. I was absolutely exhausted. I had no real relationships in my life.
But now, when I look back, I’m kind of lucky that was my situation because it was easier to give that up.
If I would have had a nice home, a Mercedes, and a couple of cool things in my life, I don’t know if I would have wanted to give up that comfort in order to pursue this entrepreneurial dream.
It actually becomes more difficult the more comfortable you are.
That’s why David Goggin says he’s not going to sleep with silk sheets — because then it’s hard to get out of bed.
To be successful, the pain of staying in your present situation should be greater than the pain of going for it.
If there’s not enough pain, it’s good enough. You settle for it. “Good enough” are two words that have killed more entrepreneurial dreams than anything else.
You just have to have enough pain and dissatisfaction with where you are to make going for it worthwhile. That also makes you less likely to give up when things get hard, because that’s how you’re going to be able to tolerate more rejection, more adversity, and more failure.
When I was trying to get Crisp off the ground, I went to 21 consecutive meetings trying to get our first client, and 21 consecutive times people told me no. But we got our first client on number 22.
If I had given up at six, this company would not exist. If I had given up at 20, this company probably would not exist.
If I had given up at attempt 21, that would have been the most painful. I was three feet from gold.
Sometimes I imagine I gave up a 21, and at the end of my life someone shared with me that I gave up that 21st presentation, but I would have gotten it at 22 and my life would have been sick.
Remember that the next time you feel tempted to give up.
