The Lifecycle of Starting Something New™ (no matter how big or small it is)
Month one = electricity. You tell people what you’re building and they get excited for you. You’re oozing with ideas and high on momentum.
Month three = the novelty is wearing off. The early cheerleaders who said “that is so cool!!” get eerily quiet. Everyday, you reveal more rabbit holes. The must-do-before-launch list grows faster than you can check the boxes. Work feels heavy.
Month six = what am I even doing with my life? You’re alone with a half-built thing. Is this all just a waste of time? You’re not failing exactly, but you’re not winning either. The vision that felt obvious in month one now feels foggy.
<< This is where most people quit. >>
Not because they hit insurmountable roadblocks (time, money, feasibility). But because nobody told them this part was coming.
In my 18+ years building product, here’s what I have come to know: The middle is supposed to feel like this. If you’re feeling heaps and heaps of self-doubt and pretending to still feel excited, it’s a sign you are actually building something real. Real things take longer, and they demand a whole lot more from you.
“Just start” is the easy advice (and I’m not knocking “just start”… I say it all the time and I love the sentiment).
“Just keep going when it is boring, quiet, and no one is clapping” is the actual work.
The difference usually is not talent or timing. It is who sticks around long enough to see the fog lift.
If you’re in month six of something right now, keep going.
