Excitement is gone
Sometimes I feel that all my projects are pointless. My startups I felt so excited about don't feel exciting anymore.
I have noticed this "lack of motivation" several times on my founder's journey. They come and go.
But what's interesting is that they always mean growth. They're like these little "reset" moments, processes that my mind goes through to have a new perspective on my startups.
A new perspective
So, I've been feeling excited about my startups and working on them every day. But there's not much novelty in the process. I just do whatever I do with them.
Now, when the "lack of motivation" period comes about, meaning when the "reset" happens, I feel no excitement about my projects. I don't really care whether they exist or not. The vision and the meaning behind them don't excite me anymore.
But when this passes, usually within a week or so, something has happened. I don't feel the same way I felt before. I see my startups from a new perspective. I have new ideas and am even more excited to work on them.
VC funded
I'm sure that many VC-founders feel the same way at times. But I haven't seen them talking about it. Why is that? Could it be that they're leading a startup that is backed by investors who don't want to see their company's face to say that they, at the current moment, don't care about the startup?
Also, I'm sure that this happens with people who work at startups. At times, their job doesn't feel exciting anymore. But what can happen is that the person, even though they lost motivation to work, continues to work, because this is their job and they have to show up, until they quit.
And they quit because the lack of motivation has gone so far that they can't reverse it within a weekend.
Getting excitement back
I've learned that when I feel about losing my motivation again, I will not going to feel bad about it anymore. I embrace it.
I know that this is a normal process my mind goes through to create room for something new, to have a new perspective, ideas, and energy to materialize them.
During these times, I just do the bare minimum I have to do – answer some emails or whatever – to keep my startups alive, and spend more time doing things outside of work.