The life of an entrepreneur is not a particularly easy one. Doors open one day and for weeks or months new ones can remain shut. When doors are shut and no amount of knocking will open them, there’s nothing to lean on but certainty. Sometimes that certainty stems from a distant reminder of when a door unexpectedly flung open in the past. Other times that certainty borders on mania, stemming from nothing more than an inexplicable knowing from within. People sometimes remark to me of their admiration of how far I’ve come as an entrepreneur (how far is actually debatable, but that’s a separate post). I share with them that where I am today is a combination of knowing (mania) and knowing I have no choice. Truth be told, a lot of my accomplishments have come from being put between a rock and a hard place by life, with little or no choice but to go down an entrepreneurial path (doesn’t sound that inspired, huh?).

It’s been quite a while since I’ve picked up my proverbial pen and sat down to write a blog post.  Anyone who understands me well also understands that my mind is constantly abuzz with information, thoughts, and ideas. But for whatever reason I’ve lately been unable or unwilling to take a breather —and a moment—to express myself. It’s been a compounding problem, as I’ll soon explain.  Over lunch yesterday with a dear and long-time friend who I hadn’t seen in a while, I was offered some simple and valuable advice: just start writing. And so I am.