The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur

September 23Remarkable You

Every relation, every gradation of nature is incalculably precious, but only to the soul which is poised upon itself, and to whom no loss, no change, can bring dull discord, for it is in harmony with the central soul. If any individual live too much in relations, so that they become a stranger to the resources of their own nature, they fall, after a while, into a distraction, or imbecility, from which they can only be cured by a time of isolation, which gives the renovating fountains time to rise up.

Margaret Fuller—Woman in the Nineteenth Century (1845)

There's a song made popular by country singer Ricky Skaggs titled “Nothing Can Hurt You.” The central hook in the chorus is the line “No one can hurt you like someone you love.”

It's not a particularly happy lyric, but its popularity leans on the kernel of truth contained in Fuller's warning: “If any individual live too much in relations, so that they become a stranger to the resources of their own nature, they fall, after a while, into a distraction …”

Now, let's also recall that Fuller was a highly educated literary critic, editor, author, political activist, and women's rights advocate playing in a society that thoroughly marginalized women—relationships were likely hard for her.

As an entrepreneur, that relationship you have with your business is a real thing as well. Attachment to the “us” and “we” of an entrepreneurial journey can lead to issues of control and stress over how things “should ...