What being a parent has taught me about success

Press on.

I thought about ending it there.  But maybe just a tad more.  In a unique kind of way, parenthood has forced me into this lesson, because once my son was here, the alternative (giving up) was unacceptable.

Since pre-college I’ve been fascinated with small-businesses.  I used to think entrepreneurs were the smartest people in the world.  Over and over I’m finding out–at an uncanny rate–that they’re not.  Sometimes not even by a long shot.

But what they all do have in common is a drive to not quit.  Their success comes not from their uniqueness or their brains, but from their tenacity.

Being a parent at one month in and hearing that little cry after a desperate thirty-seven minutes of sleep has taught me this lesson well.  Press on.  No quitting.  Now, almost two years later, the lessons I learn from being a parent are still pouring in, just in different forms.  These days the pressing on is mostly during the daytime.

Being a parent is being an entrepreneur.  Despite what every parenting books says, the most important thing you really need to do is not quit.

Sincerely,
Pressing On