Everyone is doing it better than me!
Internet is a wonderful thing! It brings us access to information and makes the world a level playing field. At the same time, it’s also easy to be overwhelmed by what you see. One trap I often fall into is looking at other startups or CEOs and feeling that everyone out there is doing it better than I am. Usually it is inspiring but many a times it’s just downright depressing.
More often than not, the truth is that everyone out there on the internet is really a special group of people or companies. Zapier has a great handbook on remote work and so does Basecamp but they represent probably 0.001% of the companies really out there. It’s very easy to get a distorted sense of numbers on the internet.
The problem is compounded by the fact that often times I am looking for examples when I want to improve something at SupportBee. For example, when I am looking for companies that have great processes for collaborating remotely, I am naturally going to find companies that are great at it. Instead of feeling bogged down by how far I am from getting there, I now focus on the spirit of actually taking a step to improve. I find that kind of positive re-enforcement much more motivating and sustainable.
When you are building a company, you are constantly improving everything. Feeling good about how much there is to improve is much better than feeling bad about how much you currently suck. Also, when you show this compassion and kindness to yourself, you will naturally extend it to others in your team too!
