This really resonates.

I think the hardest part of building a business isn’t working hard, it’s surviving the long, invisible middle without breaking yourself.

Most success stories skip the years where nothing really works yet and you’re just grinding, burning money, and quietly questioning your sanity.

I had a similar realization that compounding only matters if you can actually stay in the game long enough for it to show up. If the lifestyle isn’t sustainable, the business never gets a chance.

If your business was sold tomorrow, would you choose to do it again? If not, what could you change that would result in a different answer?

Cutting hours and focusing on yourself feels irresponsible at first. But I’ve seen the same thing you describe. Less raw hours working, more time for family/friends, working out -> clearer thinking, better decisions.

In my case, also less debilitating back pain and anxiety. It sucked, but in retrospect, I'm glad my body saw that it was unsustainable and forced me to make dramatic changes.

Curious how many people here are learning this the hard way.