Euphoria and Terror

“You only experience two emotions, Euphoria and Terror, and a lack of sleep enhances them both” - Marc Andreesen

This is true, and the real value is in the second part of that statement. Sleep is the great arbiter of truth when it comes to regulation as an entrepreneur. You can be high functioning throughout your days if you are not managing your emotions well, but when you close your eyes to go to sleep they all come rushing in.

Many many entrepreneurs struggle to sleep, and I’ve been there myself at times. The endless rollercoaster of extreme euphoria when you finally break through after hammering at the same problem for years can keep you up at night with adrenaline. The extreme fear of potentially losing it all after a decade of grinding every single day can keep you up at night.

Honestly, something happens every day that can keep you up at night…if you let it.

So the only option is to not let it keep you up at night. Which does not mean stuffing it down and acting like everything is hunky dory. It means putting your fear and elation in the passenger seat while you drive the car. Or as one UFC athlete put it “I know I won’t sleep well the night before a fight, and that’s just okay.”

There isn’t a one size fits all fix for managing emotions. And we’re entering a phase of history where people are starting to recognize that. It’s an ongoing process of recognizing and dealing with emotions as they come up. Practicing metabolizing them, just like any other practice you might develop. It takes time, it is really draining. But if you don’t, you’ll be forever on the rollercoaster of euphoria and terror, and that rollercoaster will make you sick.