How My Failed Kickstarter Taught Me the Importance of Mental Strength
And how I am training to improve my response to stress
Last year, I launched a watch on Kickstarter. This was my first entrepreneurial endeavor and first failure as an entrepreneur. But it taught me something that permanently changed my life.
I worked countless hours to build my watch brand as a side project. Seeing it fail on Kickstarter was emotionally painful.
Unwilling to relive the mental stress associated with this failure, I am now experimenting with how I can strengthen my mind.
Yes, I failed, but I am not giving up. I learned a lot by analyzing what went wrong and what I can improve on my next crowdfunding campaign.
One of the most important lessons I took from this experience is the importance of mental stillness when everything goes wrong.
According to Buddhism, life is suffering, so we’d better be prepared for the endless challenges life will throw at us. Mental toughness can be the key to navigate the ups and downs of life, but we don’t get this right out of the box. We have to condition ourselves to deal with pain.
From all-time high to an all-time low
It was past 10:00 p.m. My watches had gone live on Kickstarter just 10 minutes before. Pre-orders were coming in. I never experienced such a strong wave of positive energy. After working relentlessly on this project for over two years, seeing people pre-order my product was riveting.
The following day, things didn’t have quite the same bright outlook. Orders dwindled. Negative comments on the delayed delivery time and issues with the manufacturer were dragging me into the muck of despair.
When I finally realized that this project would not turn into reality the pain hit me hard. Seconds felt like months. Insomnia continued on for weeks. I had no appetite and got lost in a sea of questioning myself and all my decisions until that point.
Fall seven times and stand up eight. — Japanese proverb
We succeed by failing. Failure teaches us what can be improved. We must treat failure as a gift and a teacher.
Cold water for a stronger mind
Unwilling to meet the next storm without preparation, I decided to strengthen my mind with the help of physical stress. I already enjoy intensive workouts to push my limits, but that wasn’t enough. What else could I do? The answer was cold showers.
As you might have guessed, cold showers are far from a pleasant experience; especially at dawn, in the middle of winter. Every morning that I get up and start walking to the shower, my mind begins screaming at me “don’t do it.”
This daily practice is my way of getting comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. By forcing myself to spend a few minutes under icy water, I am practicing mind control under moments of physical stress.
According to Victor Frankl, founder of the Logos therapy, “We have the freedom to decide our attitude in a situation we can’t change.” When I take a cold shower, I choose to “embrace the suck.”
Pushing the limits
During my Christmas holidays back home, I cranked my training up a notch by mixing an intensive workout with cold baths. To do so, I built a 3-steps training program, taking advantage of the beautiful countryside surrounding my parent’s house.
My program:
- Trail run
- Cold bath in a river
- Trail run
On my first attempt, I was unable to venture further than knee-height into the water. Despite my preparation with cold showers, the river was unbearable (I started this training on December 16th).
The following day, I decided not to listen to my fight-or-flight response when facing the cold. It was time to be in control and, once again, embrace the suck.
Without hesitation, I dove into the freezing water. With the help of deep and regular breathes, I stopped my body from shivering and my teeth from chattering. After a while, it actually started to feel nice. I finally found my moment of peace in an uncomfortable situation.
To quote David Goggins:
The sole reason I work out like I do isn’t to prepare for and win ultra races. I don’t have an athletic motive at all. It’s to prepare my mind for life itself. Life will always be the most grueling endurance sport, and when you train hard, get uncomfortable, and callous your mind, you will become a more versatile competitor, trained to find a way forward no matter what.
Being back in the city, I am unable to combine trail runs with a cold river bath. The most I can do is continue my regiment of cold showers and intensive workouts to strengthen my mind.
How are you training your mind to be better prepared for stressful events?
Exercise
It is time to embrace the suck by using cold showers to increase your mental strength. Take it slow. This is not a race.
Here’s the process I recommend:
- Step 1: Take a shower at your standard water temperature. Finish the shower with cold water.
- Step 2: When you are comfortable with step 1, reduce the time spent under warm water, and increase the time spent under cold water.
- Step 3: Are you comfortable with step 2? Then it’s time to use only cold water.
I write about my entrepreneurial journey while building a watch brand. If you’d like updates on my newest stories, sign up for my update list here.
