Ep. 58 When progress feels too slow

"Sometimes if feels like things are moving too slowly." Many of the people who have been in my Founder Family know, that over the past four years, my now 21-year old has been suffering through a serious, debilitating health crisis. After two years of searching for the right diagnosis, we got the diagnosis of a Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) Leak. In 2021, We had two temporarily successful procedures here in Portland. Then in April 2022, we went to Cedars Sinai in LA and had a successful procedure (called an epidural blood patch) that held but then failed in November of 2022. This week will mark nine months since our kiddo had their procedure at Cedars Sinai Hospital back in January. This is the longest stretch that they (their preferred pronoun) has been patched since they started leaking in 2019. I'd love to tell you that they are all back together and bounding into their next phase of life. But the truth is their recovery has been a road of slow and incremental steps, with occasional leaps forward. Four and half years of enduring a Cerebral Spinal Fluid Leak has done extensive damage both physically and neurologically . Honestly, some days it feels like we are playing a game of whack-a-mole as different health issues pop up with their physical pain, digestive unrest and neurological challenges. There have been some days over the past few months, that I felt like we haven't been making much progress at all. But then I was looking through my iPhone photos to find a particular picture and I stumbled on some photos I took of our kiddo in August of 2022. This was the period during their first successful patch, before that patch failed in November of 2022. The thing that jumped out at me from the picture from last year was their posture. They seemed like a lump. Like gravity was too strong and they couldn't hold themselves up. It was striking. If you saw them now, you wouldn't recognize them. Their posture is upright and they appear so much stronger then a year ago. I can't quite convey in words how amazing it was to see. I shared those pictures with my kiddo and my wife and we realized that we have been making progress. It's been a little bit every day (and some days feel like we go backwards). But it's adding up to a lot over time. I think we often experience our businesses in a similar way. There are occasional big wins. But most of the time is making small, incremental progress each day. And sometimes feeling like progress is non existent. So when you are feeling like things are moving too slowly, remember this: A little bit every day. A lot over time. This week's Rocket Ship Founder Podcast is about staying the course when progress seems slow. In this episode, I cover: Why things feel slow The one essential thing to ensure you are moving forward How to measure progress This 12-minute listen is offers some helpful wisdom for both business and life. To your success! Steve P.S. When you are ready, here are 3 ways I can support you: FREE Breakthrough Session This is geared to Founders with at least $500k in Funding or Revenue to give you a legit breakthrough. In 30 minutes, we'll identify what's at the heart of your biggest issue and give you a plan to solve it. Book your session here. Private Founder Coaching Sprint (only 1 slot available) My 4-month program specifically for Seed to Series A Founders with $1M+ of revenue or funding. In a four month sprint, we work hand-in-hand on accelerating your biggest issue. Beat overwhelm. Nail a thorny PMF/Sales problem. Level up as an operator. This is a space dedicated entirely to you. The only agenda is your success. Book a time to to connect. The Sling Shot This is my intimate and affordable Founder community, dedicated to helping earlier stage Founders win in business and in life. You get access to all my trainings, weekly coaching office hours and a group Slack Channel. Reply with "Sling Shot" to learn more.