Light

I love it when someone points out yet again the difference between light and darkness. You cannot “create” darkness directly or say, “Let there be dark,” because darkness is the absence of light. To “achieve” darkness, you must remove sources of light. Any light at all diminishes darkness.

On the other hand, light pours out from itself. A light source generates light surrounding it. Even a pinprick light source is enough to drive back the darkness. And the blaze of a sun drives darkness out entirely.

Entrepreneurs building high-potential businesses face a journey fraught with uncertainty and risk, filled with endless problems to solve and moments when all appears dark. As I think about the mountains and valleys of the startup-building trek, I am reminded that sometimes it feels like those moonless mornings as I walk with my dog, barely able to see the ground in front of my feet, stumbling into potholes, and running into a surprise head-level branch. It can sometimes feel like this on one’s entrepreneurial journey. Dark. Foreboding. Uncertain. How do we navigate the dark parts of our road?

We need just a bit of light to push back the darkness. It could be the dim illumination of the stars that gives the faintest outline to the trees or the edges of the road ahead. It could be the temporary glare of passing headlights or a flash of lightning that provides a transitory glimpse of the landscape around us. It could be the emerging sunrise that first lightens the sky and then brings all around us into crystal clarity.

Each entrepreneur needs to find their own sources of light to help them in times of darkness. Here are some of mine:

• Companions:  Colleagues traveling with me can be a source of encouragement and insight, providing the light of their perspective to help me see and overcome my own weariness. Like my husband, who walks our other dog with me on those moonless roads, we call out potholes filled with freezing water or slippery spots to help one another navigate even as we discuss and seek perspective on the challenges of our coming days. Within my startup journey, sometimes I have had a close colleague who would “verbally process” the current challenges facing the business with me. By talking through the situations facing our growing company, we bring the light and clarity of multiple perspectives as well as the encouragement of facing difficulties together rather than alone.  
  
  
• Reflectors:  Sometimes, reflected light can show us the outlines of the place we are. In the business world, sometimes talking to peers in other businesses can shed light on our own situation. Maintaining a network of other CEOs who I connect with on a fairly regular cadence of perhaps once a month or once every six months often help highlight for me when I have been sucked into tolerating a given situation or maybe have lost sight of a critical strategic decision in the press of day-to-day problem-solving. The essential bit is that these other executives understand the breadth and scope of a startup CEO’s job responsibilities and the inevitable difficult tradeoff decisions inherent in the role. They aren’t invested in my situation so they can be more objective about it. As a result, we often trade insights and direct questions as confidential reminders of what is essential – and I come away feeling understood, refreshed, and with more insight.
  
  
• Thankfulness: When my eyes are searching the darkness around me, I can choose to employ the discipline of identifying what I have to be thankful for. It is never as profoundly dark as it seems, and deliberately looking for the things I can be grateful for – particular people, encouraging events, favorable circumstances, areas where I have hope, etc.—is like adjusting my eyes to the darkness so I can see better even the tiniest sources of light. As I look around and remind myself where our strengths are and what I have to be thankful for, slowly but surely, those glimmers of light add up and push back the darkness.

• Faith: For me, the enduring candle in the darkness is knowing in my body, heart, mind, and spirit that I am never alone. My constant trusted companion on the journey, no matter its pain and difficulties, is Jesus, who is simultaneously as close as my shadow and yet has an eternity/universe-spanning perspective. I grew up with many challenges that drove me into self-reliance with a profound skepticism that God could exist. In my mid-30s, with the support of my husband and some close Christian colleagues, I reached that watershed moment when my relationship with God burst into full bloom. Now, 20 years later, that relationship has been the bedrock for me in navigating the ups and downs of my startup journeys. My friendship with my Lord is a source of strength and light every day, especially when things feel particularly dark. I think I could not have walked my road without my God’s direction, encouragement, and unending love reminding me that whatever is happening in my startups is not life or death (even though I am endlessly attracted to the impact of life-saving startups!) and that my identity and value are rooted in Him, not my career and current job(s). This is the true light that puts all else in perspective.

Now we are in the season of the year where, in the northern hemisphere at least, days are shortest and nights are longest. In these times, the imagery of light pushing back on darkness is easy to see all around us. Remember that it is crucial to be able to tap into sources of light on your startup and life journey, so make it a priority to cultivate space, time, and relationships that will enable you to reflect and find the light you need to move forward.