You started a business because you want to be in charge of your life. You found something you're passionate about that makes you feel alive. You're doing something you're proud of. You know your business will take off, but it's taking longer than you thought it would. You're starting to feel lost in the day-to-day.

You're one person, so there's only so much you can do. But how do you know if you're working on what's most important?

I've found myself coming back to a simple philosophy over and over. I've debated etching it into my forearm as a reminder – your business only grows as much as you do. If you are in the business of selling ideas (which is all of us) you can often be your biggest obstacle. You can't help but get lost in a spiral of constant busyness because it feels like a race without a finish line. If you're aiming to run a successful business where you're not sleeping on a couch like Elon Musk, because there are not enough hours in the day, you need to get your daily routine on lock.

I don't have enough fingers and toes to count how many times I've felt like I have no idea what to do next with my business. There's no manual I can refer to or oracle I can seek, dishing out divine business clarity. And thankfully, I don't have a nervous tick. I'd have a big fat bald spot on my head from all the scratching.

A lot of us get into entrepreneurship because we want to be our own bosses. We're sick and tired of being told what to do, when to do it and what's a priority. We want to make the decision of what's important. But that can also drive you a little bit insane.

Does the future of your career leave you feeling a like a game of pong played in super-slow-motion? You'll drift in one direction or another, but a slight breeze has the potential to blow you off course for the day, month or year.

If you're a creative, this is magnified tenfold. You're coming up with ideas as fast as squirrels bury nuts – with a similar problem of not remembering where the hell you buried your ideas and which ones are even worth pursuing. That's what happens when we don't have a destination in mind. We don't know what to kick to the curb and what's worth pursuing.

I've found myself back to exploring the minds of creative geniuses through a new relationship I’ve developed with learning. Building a business gave me a profound realization that learning can be damn right magical. I dove into creatives previously stuck in their cold dead form, black and white existences that haunt highschool textbooks. I didn't have the sense, guidance, or enthusiasm to pursue what interest me because I was conditioned to believe I only needed to know what was on the test.

When you are no longer able to change a situation, you are challenged to change yourself. I was sick of following a path that only had one destination (retirement). I was done with being told what I had to do. In the same sense an athlete can't blame their coach for a shitty performance, I'd be forced to take responsibility for my life and what I made of it. Entrepreneurship enticed me with its all-in philosophy. I knew it meant starting from scratch, a damn scary realization in your mid-thirties. Was I being crazy? Crazy felt like doing the same thing I was doing and expecting different results. Either I had to change my expectations of working for someone else or I had to leap and see what was on the other side. I wanted a job to be more than just a means to a paycheck. I heard how others talked about their careers. It's a source of purpose and meaning, a place in the world. That's what I dreamed of. A blank canvas to paint a fresh start.