#163 About Entrepreneurship (5) (20/07/2025)

Sometimes I have a lot of people working with me, which can be quite a headache.

I've found that every few months, I sometimes find myself sitting alone, feeling unhappy and unable to think things through. Sometimes this unhappiness comes from no particular reason, even when there's nothing wrong. I tend to think about the worst-case scenario and prepare for it in advance, but sometimes this really makes me feel incredibly unhappy.

Today is just another ordinary day, so I might as well write down "about starting a business".

When I come back to this state every now and then, constantly doubting myself and feeling inadequate, I realize that I am just an ordinary person. This constant self-doubt will eventually break me. These problems are difficult to solve; I have to learn to resolve them myself.

I've met many men older than me, mostly in their 30s and 40s, in various settings. They started their own businesses when I was probably in my 20s, and they've been doing it ever since. Of course, everyone's industry and stage of their careers are different, but it's true that many of them didn't see any "progress" in their careers until quite late, around their 40s, later than their peers. But they continued and didn't give up. So sometimes I genuinely admire them. Because when you feel like you've spent your whole life "catching up," no one can truly feel good inside. I don't know if they've ever felt lost or anxious, but at least they haven't given up (more likely, many more people have already given up, but I don't know those people).

One of the difficulties of starting a business is that the initial path is usually easier and smoother, but as you go further down the mountain... well, there's no path at all. It's like you're hiking alone. At the beginning, there are concrete paths and stone steps, although the path is narrow, but there's still a path. You're walking along, and there's not much to do. You're even humming a song to yourself. As you walk further down, the concrete path gradually turns into a dirt path, and the dirt path gets narrower and narrower, with weeds growing everywhere. As you walk further down, you gradually can't even see the path anymore, and there's just a forest in front of you.

If you're optimistic, you can say there are roads everywhere, just waiting for you to be the first to take them; if you're pessimistic, you can say there are no roads at all.

Going back is no longer an option because you can't see the road ahead anymore; it's all trees. You've walked too long and too far, and you can't find the way you came from.

Then you also feel inferior to others and want to "catch up with those who are lagging behind".

It's really not easy.