August 19, 2012

What to do when you feel alone

molly published this at 3:00 am

I’ve previously made reference in this series to the “Jiminy Cricket-esque” quality of the voices within my socnets as your streams, threads and updates intersect with mine. Very oftentimes, a tweet, a Pinterest image or an update will speak to me in a way that has special significance. Call it kismet; call it some sort of angelic or Divine message….call it what you will, but I’ve come to rely on the Collective Wisdom that pervades my day-to-day existence as we become increasingly interwoven through our communication platforms.

This week, I had an opportunity to hear from a few folks who had gained something from my digital ramblings into the ether. I think that sometimes, we sit behind our screens and pontificate into the social space, assuming that no one else is there. Yes, there are times when intentional sharing occurs, or active networking, but then, in the case for those who took the time to contact me via two different platforms, something that I said pretty much to myself (ie. thinking aloud through typing) resonated. A bit humbling, truth be told.

Of those who contacted me, the comment about being alone speaks most directly to the entrepreneur’s experience. Launching a business or establishing something that doesn’t already exist in exactly the way we see it requires a certain amount of “alone-ness.” The very nature of seeing what others don’t requires an outsider’s perspective, and for those who are REALLY bleeding edge, the rest of us can be painfully slow in catching up.

You really aren’t alone. Solitude is always self-imposed. I’m so grateful for good friends & the ability to recognize them.~ MCK

This is the paradox and the nebulous half-world in which we entrepreneurs find ourselves pretty much 95% of the time, isn’t it?. How many of you have said to yourself, “WHY can’t anyone else SEE this?!” How many of you think that you are equal parts egomaniac and the most Patient Person Who Ever Lived? How many of you are grateful and humble for the tribe that surrounds you and keeps you sane?

No man (or woman, for that matter) is an island. Each of us is interconnected with the other. We draw strength, inspiration and energy from each other. In order for us to succeed, we must learn the art of surrounding ourselves with people who nurture, challenge and accept us while at the same time being able to disengage in order to change the status quo/implement our vision.

When I was in the first year of establishing Women With Drive Foundation, there were two people within my Inner Sanctum who would receive texts from me, which read simply, “I’m not crazy, and this will all work out.”

To my eternal relief and gratitude, these two people without fail would immediately return the text, saying, “You’re not crazy, and this will all work out.”

When you feel alone, pause and really determine WHY you feel alone.

- Do you perceive that you are misunderstood?
- Have you been maintaining contact with people who care about you and want you to succeed?
- Have you been neglecting your health (spiritual, mental, physical)?

Being “alone” is the most cruel illusion because it is one to which we subject ourselves. I can’t recall if it was Kant or The Eagles who said, “…so oftentimes it happens that we live our lives in chains / And we never even know we have the key…”?

If you feel as though you are misunderstood, reach out to someone you trust and ask him or her to give you honest feedback as to where your message is breaking down. One of the BIGGEST shortcomings of we entrepreneurs is that we fill in the exposition gaps within our own internal vision and forget to clue in the external world.

Keep in touch with people. Take care of your health. Without a healthy Conduit, your vision will be more difficult to communicate and sustain. Thank people who provide support. Let them know their part in helping bring your vision to life.

I’m not gonna lie: there ARE going to be stretches toward your goals where it will be just you holding the vision alight. There ARE going to be stretches when you face making payroll, or dipping into the emergency savings. At those times, you will feel as though no one else gives two shakes ~ for you, your idea, your vision or your solution that you can bring to the world.

For what it’s worth, I care. Hang tough. Breathe deep. Stretch. Call one of your Crazy Inner Sanctum Friends (you should have at least three). Keep going. The world needs you.

Have you ever felt alone? How did you process it and keep going? What was the result? What did you learn?
——-

Molly Cantrell-Kraig is a woman with drive. Possessing an innate sense of purpose and a pragmatic, solution-based approach to empowering people, she fused these two traits in order to establish Women With Drive Foundation. Based upon its founder’s personal history, Women With Drive Foundation is a means through which Cantrell-Kraig may effect change on both a micro and macro level. By providing women with something as essential as personal transportation in order to transition them from poverty to prosperity, she, through Women With Drive Foundation, seeks to empower women to help them help themselves. Through this action, the individual applicant benefits, as does society as a whole. Follow Molly on twitter as @mckra1g or @WWDr1ve (Women With Drive Foundation).

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