24 November 2022

Overcoming Entrepreneurial Loneliness with Gratitude

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Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Explainer· 1

Explainer08:24

Why Entrepreneurial Loneliness Often Surfaces at Your Lowest Point

Jasmine explains that business owners can suppress loneliness by staying constantly occupied. When setbacks accumulate and activity can no longer mask the underlying emotion, the sense that nobody understands may become especially intense.

Entrepreneurs can feel isolated even while remaining highly active.
Busyness may function as emotional avoidance rather than pure productivity.
Unchecked feelings tend to return during difficult periods.
Cascading setbacks intensify the belief that nobody understands the experience.

“I like to do things as a way to be productive, but also not fully address a particular emotion I might be feeling.”
Jasmine Star · 09:10

“And when I feel like nobody understands what it feels like to have a billion dominoes fall at once, that's when I feel the most…”
Jasmine Star · 09:51

#entrepreneurship#loneliness#busyness#emotions

Story· 3

Story02:27

How Scarcity Shaped a Family’s Thanksgiving Traditions

Jasmine recalls Thanksgivings shaped by her parents’ modest beginnings and the donated or discounted food available to them. Those constraints produced unconventional meals, including homemade wonton soup, but also established a lasting tradition of gathering together regardless of what was served.

Jasmine’s parents came from simple upbringings in Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Church members sometimes delivered boxes of canned goods to the family.
Her father bought edible but damaged products that stores could not display normally.
The family made homemade wontons together for one memorable Thanksgiving.

“And then when we started having Thanksgiving on our own as a family, we didn't have much.”
Jasmine Star · 02:45

“And there it was the Thanksgiving, much to the chagrin of the pilgrims, we were eating bowls of waan soup.”
Jasmine Star · 04:29

#thanksgiving#family#scarcity#tradition

Story04:53

Why Jasmine’s Family Kept an Open Door at Thanksgiving

Jasmine’s father believed people should not be alone, particularly during the holidays, so he invited anyone who needed company into their home. The family filled its small house with folding tables and guests, making inclusion more important than polish or space.

Her father openly shared the family’s address with people who needed somewhere to go.
The house became so crowded and warm that the front door stayed open.
Folding tables were squeezed into every available part of the house.
Hospitality was treated as an antidote to isolation.

“And oftentimes my dad would tell whomever, cuz he believed that people should not be alone, especially during the holidays in life in general, but…”
Jasmine Star · 04:59

“And so he always told anybody, he spoke to, our house is open, this is our address.”
Jasmine Star · 05:07

#hospitality#belonging#family#loneliness

Story06:17

The Golden-Brown Turkey That Was Still Frozen Inside

Trying to give her son-in-law a traditional Thanksgiving, Jasmine’s mother proudly served a beautifully browned turkey. The oven had switched off after browning it, however, and the family discovered during carving that the bird remained frozen beneath the surface.

Jasmine’s mother wanted to accommodate a relative accustomed to traditional Thanksgiving food.
The turkey browned before the oven unexpectedly turned off.
Its appearance concealed the fact that it had not cooked through.
The mishap became another humorous part of the family’s imperfect celebrations.

“So after hours of being in the oven, my mom walks out proudly with this Turkey, and she places it in the middle.”
Jasmine Star · 07:26

“Those beautiful golden brown Turkey made, especially for Matt is frozen.”
Jasmine Star · 07:45

#thanksgiving#family#failure#humor

Takeaway· 3

Takeaway09:59

A Setback Cannot Return You to Who You Were Before

Jasmine reframes entrepreneurial setbacks as painful events that do not erase accumulated knowledge, experience, or strength. Even when many problems arrive together, the entrepreneur still faces a forward-looking choice: abandon the fallen pieces or begin building again.

Setbacks are normal in entrepreneurship.
Failure does not erase experience already gained.
You cannot literally return to your earlier level of knowledge or capability.
Recovery begins with choosing to build again.

“Because what I've learned is that a setback isn't a step back.”
Jasmine Star · 10:13

“You know more, you've experienced more, you've learned more, you're stronger now.”
Jasmine Star · 10:31

#setbacks#resilience#entrepreneurship#mindset

Takeaway12:38

The Unique Value of Friends Who Understand Your Industry

After an exceptionally hard professional week, Jasmine identifies friendship as the part of entrepreneurship for which she feels most grateful. Industry peers can see the private failures behind a public business, validate the pain without minimizing it, and help one another resume the work.

Professional hardship is often shared privately rather than publicly.
Trusted friends can accept both flaws and perceived failures.
Industry peers understand pressures that outsiders may not fully grasp.
Good support combines compassion with encouragement to continue.

“But the thing I've realized it, the thing I'm most grateful for, or the people who stand beside you when the chips are down”
Jasmine Star · 13:07

“So this month, the thing I am most grateful for is friendship.”
Jasmine Star · 13:59

#friendship#peer-support#entrepreneurship#gratitude

Takeaway11:24

Amy Porterfield’s Reminder: Staying in the Game Is Already a Win

Amy Porterfield sends Jasmine flowers and a handwritten note during a difficult week. Its message shifts the measure of success away from immediate results and toward persistence: continuing after painful lessons is itself evidence of progress.

A small, timely message can support someone through a professional low.
Persistence can be recognized before external success arrives.
The note gives Jasmine language she can return to on future hard days.
Jasmine passes the encouragement on to listeners facing their own setbacks.

“you're already one because you're still in the game.”
Jasmine Star · 11:24

“you've already won because you're still in the game.”
Jasmine Star · 14:48

#persistence#encouragement#friendship#resilience