Last week I met with an entrepreneur that had been working on a startup for two years and it was clear he was having a tough time. Late in the conversation I asked about the The Trough of Disillusionment and there was an affirmative that it was happening currently. After that, I saw Chris Maddern tweet this excellent graphic titled The Emotional Journey of Anything Great:
Steps along the journey, as taken from the picture:
- This is the best idea ever!!
- This will be fun
- This is harder than I thought
- This is going to be a lot of work
- This sucks and I have no idea what I’m doing
- #%@}!!!!!
- Ok but it still sucks
- Quick, let’s call it a day and say we learned something
- Hmm…
- Hey!
- Wow
- This is one of the things I’m most proud of
Every entrepreneur goes through dark times. Unfortunately, it’s part of the process but the ones that break through have a greater appreciation and resilience that makes it even sweeter.
What else? What are some more thoughts on this emotional journey of anything great?
David Cummings on Startups 