Irrational Persistence

1 Summon the Courage to Enter the Dark Room

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

–Winston Churchill

So how do you launch a business, even with less than nothing, and somehow get to the point at which some of the largest companies in the world want to buy you?

What’s the first step?

The first step is into the dark room.

The dark room is what confronts everyone who is not living the life they’ve imagined for themselves. Who is professionally unfulfilled. Who finds that condition unacceptable.

And who is determined to do something about it.

And also those who determine that doing something about it involves developing a product or service, then launching it, either within an existing company or doing so independently on their own.

It’s one thing to have an idea. Actually making it a reality is another entirely. Actually bringing it to life requires facing a moment of truth.

What’s that moment like?

Imagine you’re standing in front of a door that leads into a room. A dark room, a room completely devoid of light.

Dark rooms are frightening, potentially filled with peril. There is tremendous ambiguity involved.

It’s natural, and certainly rational, to walk away from a situation like that. To not enter the dark room. To stay where you are, where you can at least see what’s around you. Where you’re comfortable.

But it takes courage, which is often irrational, to enter that room. And to have the door close behind you.

You’re now alone. In utter blackness. Not sure where to ...