Every good book about someone who has made it BIG includes a chapter that looks back on that time that they struggled: That place in our hero’s journey that might have become the dead end of their adventure. That moment when they realized their comfortable cushion was spent, their savings were emptied, and they had $40 left on one credit card. There is a big deal made about the fact that our hero was most likely eating a lot of ramen during this time. This chapter is often framed as a story about resilience – how the hero ate their last pack of ramen on Tuesday night, and on Wednesday morning they landed a life-changing deal.
The details vary from book to book, but the ramen era is usually shared as story meant to remind us that the journey isn’t always easy. The thing is, by the time you read the book, our hero has made it BIG, and eating noodles for dinner is a faraway memory that they trot out during keynote speeches and mastermind classes. We hang on every word (we even pay good money to hear more about it) because we believe that we, too, are going to make it BIG. We believe that someday we will have faraway memories about eating ramen every night.
We rarely, however, read about someone who is currently IN their ramen era. It’s not motivating or glamorous to read a story about the struggle as it plays out in real-time. Trust me, I cannot wait to make it BIG and to look back on my own ramen era. The reality is, I am deep in it right now. Today.
And I thought that might resonate with some of you. Today.
I spent last night thinking about how I will pay some of my upcoming bills. Yesterday I struggled with the decision to put an additional expense on a credit card. At 2 a.m., I was wide awake cursing myself for leaving my steady paycheck and jumping into the fray of entrepreneurship.
But today I am up and networking. I am connecting with people who move in the circles where I would like to be recognized. I am creating content and telling stories.
I am motivated by those who have gone before me and made it BIG. But I am driven by those who have recently shared with me that they, too, are struggling with making ends meet while chasing their dreams.
Pull up a seat and I’ll split some noodles with you. Share your journey with me. Let’s motivate each other now, today. (And you better believe that when your book comes out, I’ll be reading the chapter about your ramen era first!)
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