Delusions of grandeur

Head in the cloud but no feet on the ground

Fuck bosses. Fuck colleagues.

Yesterday, you had the million-dollar idea. You were all excited, imagining all the things that would emerge out of it. You had insight after insight to make it successful. You built this grand scheme in your mind. That’s the one idea that’ll get you financially free. Finally.

You started working on it, and today, you’re excited to keep going.

Slowly, you realize it’s harder to implement than you thought. The market is not huge. Potential clients don’t care. But you like your idea.

You start thinking, “They are wrong. They don’t understand my idea. It has potential, and I’ll overcome the difficulties.” You think, “The history is full of people who succeeded despite harsh circumstances. Why not me?”

The slippery slope

You’re treading on dangerous ground.

The excitement feels good. The flow feels good. The hope is exhilarating.

You’re scared to let go, and it’s blinding. When was the last time you felt that good?

You’re familiar with the survivorship bias. But we barely think about the epic failures like the Fyre festival, where delusions melted their wings of wax or of the millions of small abandoned projects and closed small businesses.

You might think, “I’ll be the outlier.”

Putting blinders on

Honestly, I get it. You get some likes. You get some comments. You have a few conversations. There are a lot of balls in the air. It’s exciting. It feels like things are moving forward.

But you’re pedalling on an exercise bike. You exert a lot of effort, but you’re not going anywhere.

Who said yes to reach into their pocket and throw you dollar bills?

Even if you do your market research, you see how much others are making. Does it translate to actual numbers on YOUR dashboard and revenue in YOUR bank account?

It’s pure wishful thinking. Living outside of reality. It’s almost like gambling. Might as well buy lottery tickets.

Fantasy vs Reality

The fantasy in your brain is decoupled from reality.

The fantasy is just the start. There needs to be a two-way street between your fantasy and reality.

You dream it, you act on it, and you realistically reflect on the results. At the end of the day, you want money in the bank, not excitement or feeling good about your idea.

What should you do about it?

Nothing.

Keep dreaming, keep going too far. Risk disappointment.

The best way to learn is to get burnt.

Doesn’t matter what solution I have for you until you actually go do something and crystallize the lesson in your experience.

You’ll get pissed off at yourself for doing this to yourself. You’ll formally decide you need to change.

The only thing I ask is that you take risks you can come back from.

You wasted two weeks? Whatever. You lost $500? You can still make more.

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Has something like that happened to you before? Hit reply or share a comment on Substack!

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3 juicy links of the week

1. Already bought the domain

   1. If you like to buy domains when you get a business idea, this video is for you!

2. This Multimillion-Dollar Puzzler Shares How She Turned Her Hobby Into a Seven-Figure Startup

   1. The story shows that luck is a big part of this woman’s journey. But I also liked that she stumbled upon the idea based on her curiosity. She didn’t find the idea by Googling “How to make 10k per month” and following the advice given there. She found something that worked for her.

3. Why you probably have a low-leverage career

   1. I’m convinced that the best leverage in life comes from a sizeable emergency fund coupled with in-demand skills. The first one gives you peace of mind that if you quit your job or fire your clients, you’ll still be able to provide for yourself and your family. The second one will ensure you’ll always have a way to generate revenue no matter the times. Both of those would give enough confidence to say no to questionable opportunities and wait until something better comes around.