[Serious] What are you struggling with IRL? ❤️
I’m not only referring to the struggles of building a product or a startup.
What are you really struggling with in real life?
With all the highlight reels in social media, there’s an implied pressure to be positive. We downplay our own struggles, fear judgement from gatekeepers for “first world problems” or think our social circle “just won’t get it”.
There is so much stigma around struggle.
Spreading positivity doesn’t mean hiding our struggles. We don't have to pretend we got our shit together for clicks or likes.
To kick things off - I struggle as an informal caregiver to an elderly family member. It can be overwhelmingly draining, time-consuming and unappreciated at times. Over the past decade, I’ve been able to expand my toolbox to help myself cope. Even though I remain a caregiver, talking about my struggles surprised me in different ways. In conversations, I no longer tip toe around for fear of being a Debbie Downer. Likewise, I also learned to listen for the facades people cobbled up and I nudge them gently, signalling it’s okay to talk, really talk.
You may not feel comfortable sharing your struggles here. If you do share somewhere else, where/how do you do so? Perhaps we can find some inspiration from your toolbox, too.
Vulnerability builds strength. Let’s struggle together.
Finances. I went from making $200k a year to $0 bootstrapping https://storycreatorapp.com/
I am just trusting I will manifest money. I just need to be patient. I am willing to live in a car to create more runway. It's definitely a challenge but having the urgency to pay the bills keeps me working hard.
Similar situation here. It creates a lot of anxiety for me, too.
Yeah, I feel you. It'll be ok though.
I need to level my teenage parenting skills 😭
🤗 sending virtual hug! I certainly was a handful in my teenage years
I struggle with adulting. I am far away from family. I need to take care of my spouse and little one. I am yet to make something which makes millions. I still am working at a job (which I am grateful for). But I am just tired of dealing with small issues everyday.
I'm struggling to find users for my product too. On those really distracting or busy days, I sometimes write down all the things I've accomplished that day and then cross them off. There's something really satisfying about it.
Not enough exercising and physical activities , man we have been under lockdown for over a month and i have rushed to launch our site, this took a toll on health, constant code marathons and what not ! i will start proper exercise routine once we have launched this week !
Good luck to your launch!
This comment was deleted a year ago.
@Primer Public figures, CEOs, athletes etc, generally are not comfortable talking about struggles because others envy/desire their positions/status. There's a risk of being labeled "ungrateful". The phrase "You should be grateful" can be a double-edge sword.
There are a web of interrelated themes, here are a few of them IMO:
Humans, as social creatures, long for acceptance and validation.
Pervasive communication has allowed us to see others being seen, going viral. We emulate one another, and turn our focus to what can generate virality or validation (ie TikTok videos that are all similar). Hence, if few people are talking about their struggles, even fewer people will realize that's a healthy thing to do.
Through evolution, we learned to compare and rank things, which is generally useful for future decision-making but not when applied to struggles. Most of us have yet to learn to make sense of struggle and vulnerability.
I wrote a longer piece last year on Medium. here if you are interested.
This comment was deleted a year ago.