Here’s the part I hate to admit:
I know what to do.
I know how to build a business.
I’ve read the books.
I’ve taken the courses.
I’ve collected tactics and strategies like baseball cards.
I’ve helped others build their businesses.
And yet… there’s still this gap.
The gap between what I know and what I actually do.
Between the picture in my head and the numbers in my bank account.
Between the version of me I imagine five years from now and the one that shows up when stress and life hit hard.
That gap whispers that maybe I’m the problem.
Maybe I’m broken.
How it shows up for me
For me it shows up like this:
I’ll build something real—it works, it’s right there on my laptop—but then I never actually put it out into the world
Today I got myself in gear after a tough, messy week.
I built some bots just because I wanted to.
I need something to distract me and get me moving.
They work.
They’re useful.
But will I ever actually share them?
Remains to be seen.
The other day I remembered another bot I made a while back.
I think I shared it once.
Then buried it.
Same with the draft of an offer I’ve rewritten ten times without shipping.
Same with getting distracted by the next shiny thing instead of following through.
On paper, I have the skills and knowledge to be making 10x what I’m making.
In reality, I’m still fighting to turn that knowledge into results
Part of it is because I expected a lot bigger results a lot sooner.
Part of it is not recognizing the wins I have had.
They don’t feel like wins when I’m looking at the gap.
Everyone’s highlight reel
And I know I’m not the only one.
Scroll Substack and you see people killing it.
Scroll Instagram and your feed is flooded with ads for the latest “business in a box” course or $27 offer promising freedom.
It’s tempting to buy them all.
Even knowing you’ll never complete them.
Even knowing it’s just another way to avoid the real work.
Because deep down, you already know what to do.
You just keep finding ways to get in your own way.
Who makes it through
The ones who do break through?
They’re not the smartest.
They’re not even the most disciplined or organized.
They just keep moving.
Even when the fog doesn’t lift.
Even when the results don’t match the effort.
Even when the inner critic won’t shut up.
They write the messy draft.
They make the offer they feel unqualified to make.
They publish the thing that still feels unfinished.
They stumble forward instead of waiting for perfect.
What I’m telling myself this week
I’m not on the other side of the valley.
I’m in it.
So here’s what I’m reminding myself right now:
Some days I won’t feel up to it. On those days, small progress counts. Sleep, reset, and come back.
Keep going, even if it’s slow.
The only way out is through.
Momentum matters. Find the little wins and stack them.
That’s it.
No magic formula.
Just the stubborn act of not stopping.
—
Are you in that gap between where you are and where you know you could be? What helps you keep moving?
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