| Getting out is as extreme as qutting your job. You can cut back gradually, or better yet, get things running better.. I know how exactly you felt and felt the same way for several years, working 7 days a week, 12-14 hour days between getting/running/doing the work of the business. The only thing that changed is how I got better at managing work, and then having the work managed. All I can say is in my case, I did not realize I had a lot of learning to do, and that's where a lot of time goes. I started when I was 18, now I'm in my early 30's. There is a way out. Seek advice from others who have done and come through what you're doing. If you take half baked advice from half experienced outcomes, you will definitely be risking more not just with everything in front of you but your confidence in the future. If you feel overwhelmed, it's probably because you have sufficient growth opportunities around you and a feeling of paralysis of doing any of them justice. You'll have to pick. My experience was to focus on learning how to make money and build long term client relationships that would allow me to grow. I now consult startups, projects and high growth group. Freedom is something you build. Freedom always has a cost. There is always a price to be paid for getting it. You don't own a business until it runs without you. Until then, you own a job that is hard to quit because you are increasingly invested in it in every way. Freedom for me, is also time, and a capacity to create and pursue interests as much as the work I do. In your 20's, something happens called becoming well rounded. learning to keep your increasingly efficiently ability to create into your 30's while making sure you aren't being left behind is a delicate balance, but it can be done. To me, wealth is time and capacity to create as I would like. I'm now consulting part time, and making as much, or likely more than I've ever made. The lame adage working smarter vs working harder is not completely true, its all about knowing strategically where to double down your efforts, and learning the difference between a good dollar earned and a bad dollar earned. All isn't as bad or as good as it seems. The best advice I received from a mentor was to never get too high or too low, savour each lesson and accomplishment, shut up, and move on, because the great times don't last, just like the horrible ones as long as I keep moving. If you'd like to talk more, I'm happy to share my story of having run a similar course to you for almost 10 years and maybe you can find something there. Email is in my profile. My story and experience is rather extreme and it can feel horrible to not have a soul to talk to, or to understand you.. when being understood can feel like a luxury. I can't say I know everything you're going through, but there is always a way to help use tech, systems and processes to make a business work for you, especially if you have cash flow. Everything will be ok, you can do it, you will get better, things get better. Things don't get better, we just get better at handling them -- it's the best growth imaginable. You can get things running without you and remain a value contributor. |