#108 - Not the Bet-Hedgers
A different cloth, going wrong, and remarkably resilient
It’s not the bet-hedgers who build the future.
Nor the just-a-little-consulting-work-on-the-side.
It’s those with absolute conviction.
That however it happens, however long it may take, the result is not in doubt:
They will prevail.
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A Different Cloth
The American Civil War was a bloodbath.
655,000 Americans died. More than in WWI, WWII, and the War of Independence combined.
Abraham Lincoln, the President at the time, endured four years of chaos. His North fought against The South for the end of slavery.
The early years saw dramatic Northern defeats. Their Generals found wanting. Until, that is, the rise of Ulysses S. Grant.
The key failings of Grant’s predecessors was a reluctance to take action. Excuse followed excuse and initiative slipped from their grasp. Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.
But Grant was cut from a different cloth. His war years defined by a relentless push forward. Every inch fought to the last.
Grant told Lincoln, during the final drive to the Southern capital:
“You will never hear me farther from Richmond than now, till I have taken it. I am just as sure of going into Richmond as I am of any future event.
It may take a long summer day, but I will go in.”
This was not a man to waiver.
Going Wrong
We’re crippled with doubt these days. Stopping and starting. Wondering how to move forward.
And who can blame us? Life surprises us at every turn.
But I’m not sure that matters.
Do something hard and things always go wrong. That’s part of the game. It’s not the going wrong that matters it’s what happens next.
Grant was relentless. Disasters rocked his camp, as they had the camps of his colleagues. But that didn’t sway him.
The only way was through.
Remarkably Resilient
You know what’s surprised me most these last 6 years?
Startups are remarkably resilient.
I’ve seen two, and both have had their rocky moments, but there’s always been a way through.
Keep your head and that way through will emerge.
That’s the theme with every successful entrepreneur I’ve met: They kept going. Not a single one had an easy ride. A mess, the lot of them.
To build something great you must keep going.
Like Grant, keep pushing forward, searching for a way through.
And just like for Grant, eventually, that way through will emerge.
It make take a month, it may 10 years.
But one thing’s for sure.
Richmond will fall.
My Week in Books📚
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
So much joy reading this. Lincoln was a truly remarkable character. The first book I’ve read on him, won’t be the last.
Big fan of DKG’s writing too. Full marks all round.
Book recommendations welcome & encouraged. Just hit reply! 🙏
Unplugged Latest 🌳📵
Nothing much to report this week. Although plenty going on behind the scenes. Interesting few months ahead.🔨👀
A Final Thought 💡
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
―Nelson Mandela
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Inspirational. Happy to be a hot founder ‘mess’, as mentioned.