(Adapted from a 2015 article by Ryan.)
Since it is spring, I was reminded of a fun experience I had a few years back. When my kids were little we decided to get some fertilized chicken eggs, borrow an incubator, and hatch some chickens. It was a two-fold effort because we wanted to experience the miracle of life being formed and then eventually get the benefit of homegrown eggs.
The entire experience was fascinating and I still remember it because of what we learned. It only takes 21 days to hatch chicken eggs. For a few hours leading up to the hatch, you can hear the chicks begin to chirp and the eggs start to wiggle and move. The chicks are fully formed and are preparing for entry into the world outside their protective shells.
Once you see that initial crack, it actually takes hours for the chickens to fully escape the confines of their shells. My kids were fascinated with the whole process. They watched closely as the eggs moved, cracks formed, and chicks began to emerge. The adorable little yellow chicks were so fun to watch as they experienced the world for the first time.
Unfortunately, there was one chick that was really struggling. The shell seemed stuck to its back, making it hard to move. My kids really wanted to help the chicks as they struggled to get free. I had to help them understand that this would actually hurt the chickens. They needed to struggle to get free, so they would be strong enough to survive the life ahead of them.
I told my kids… “It’s the struggle that makes you strong!”
If you are a business owner, you have likely struggled with something along your entrepreneurial journey. You have likely been through things that would break some people. The thing is, the world needs strong people and strong people accomplish great things. It doesn’t make the struggle feel better when you are in the middle of it. However, it helps to look back and see how the struggle made you stronger. So in some way, if you are in the middle of escaping your constraining shell, remember your struggle makes you stronger.