Taking a step backwards is better than taking no steps

By dan - On

For the last 6 months or so after finishing up at my last business, I’ve done very little career wise. I’ve always been busy and having not much to do and a lack of direction for the future has been rough.

I’m always super fearful of being between projects. You really start to wonder what you’re actually good at and what you should be doing with your life. Especially if you’re a business owner with a weird mix of skills that doesn’t fit neatly into any particular career path. It’s very easy to get stuck in negative thought patterns, paralysis analysis and chasing unrealistic ideas.

Related: Thoughts on starting from scratch again at 43

It doesn’t feel good to have no direction.

Initially the thought of going back to do something I did years ago was incomprehensible to me. You have to always be moving forwards, onwards and upwards to an even bigger challenge. But the longer I sat around, the more appealing it became to take a step backwards. I started thinking about some of the businesses I’ve had, the pro’s and con’s of them, the Product – audience fit, how well they might work at this time in my life, and a funny thing happened. I started getting excited about going back to do something I did years ago and never wanted to do again.

Taking a step backwards felt better than taking no steps at all.

And maybe with what I know now about choosing what to say yes to, about how to build a business around my lifestyle, and what kinds of structures I don’t want to be part of, I might be able to do it better than before. Not bigger than before, but better for me, at this time in my life.

So that’s what I’m doing. Next week I’m launching a business. Something I did years ago, with a bit of a twist. And even though it’s a step backwards, I’m excited about it.

I’ll be doing it all in public so you can follow along. Make sure you’re on my weekly email list to follow the journey.

dan
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