On the importance of breaks in shit storms.

Reading Time: 2min 41 sec

Business coaches love to preach how people struggle to take breaks while emphasizing ‘growth’ which feels like falling behind when you aren’t.

But I hardly hear anyone talks about examples beyond the obvious* ones.

_{*types of breaks and consistency.}

What about when your bank is about to hit zero, your ideas aren’t panning out, and breaks feel like a luxury reserved for people who have at least one tangible win?

If that feels oddly specific, it’s because that’s my current situation.

I feel like the embodiment of the ‘hard knock life’ scene of those entrepreneur success stories that often get glossed over for their frameworks and happy endings.

To be brutally honest, for a long time it felt like I was running and pursuing a ‘business’ with clarity that turned out to be smoke, but kept pushing because I thought that’s what we are supposed to do.

So what if my creativity is AWOL, I’m too tired to think properly, and I feel like one of those sharks that die if they stop moving.

Do you know what it’s like? When it feels like your world is burning because you have no answers, those basic 20min breaks aren’t working, and you can’t take one of those ’6 months and disappear’ getaways?

For growth, is telling solopreneurs to push through an empty tank and anxiety under the guise of consistency above all else helpful?

And lets be honest. Do you say you will take a break but never do, take a break but struggle feeling lazy, or the rare few who can take a break and not feel like crap about it?

I don’t think you will find an answer between coffee cups and low brain power.

But see for me the fear isn’t my bank account. It’s the fact it’s been a year and I have no business to show everyone who invested in me (including you).

Call it shame or guilt but I’m pretty sure there’s a reason you are building a business beyond yourself and keep yourself from taking the time your brain needs to actually be helpful.

Between my fears and lack of results is why I forced myself to take a few days to relax and think.

I say days because for the first two days I looked like a drug addict without their fix of working or ‘productivity' or 'growth' — or in more ‘professional’ terms dealing with the outdated beliefs in my head saying taking time for my mind is wrong.

Then it transformed into easing into possible solutions, reverting back to hitting my head for answers, before easing back with calls with good friends who call you out, and a lot of walking.

Consider this. In 2020 Airbnb lost 80% of their clients by late February after a $30B valuation. When CEO Brian Chesky was asked about the situation on the podcast Masters of Scale, he said:

“The hardest thing to manage (in a crisis) is your own psychology.”

Now he went underground with his team for a full year before coming back which not all of us are able to do but you get the point. They needed time.

Now Airbnb is worth over $90B.

If you’re interested, I wrote a little about it on X.

And I could relate (at least to the quote at least).

For me these breaks are a non-negotiable no matter the situation — just not by days anytime soon.

Now I don’t have an answer to my fog of ‘what the fuck am I going to do?’ but I didn’t. Instead I realized I was pushing myself towards a mental and physical collapse in my desperation for an answer.

But by the time you read this I have work sent to a prospect to help his new cohort of tech founders, an offer for my directory page and a few others conversations I’m having.

As for the money I need — I’ll keep you updated.

But here’s the thing. There is no perfect time to take a break even if you have clients, family to worry about, or a bank account on E.

So let me ask you: Taking a moment to rest your mind to refocus or keep working until your health forces you to?

Reply and let me know where you stand — even if it’s to admit it to someone other than yourself or know someone else in the world knows.