I hit a revenue milestone last month. Should be celebrating, right?
Instead, I felt… hollow. Empty. Like, "Is this all there is?"
I think the problem is that I've been building with no real PURPOSE
beyond "make money" and "prove myself." And now that I'm succeeding,
I realized those goals don't actually fulfill anything.
This is awkward to admit in entrepreneur circles, but I'm starting
to think the missing piece is spiritual alignment. Like:
- Am I building something that actually matters, or just chasing status?
- Why does my ambition feel hollow when it's not tied to something bigger?
- How do I know if I'm on the right path vs. just grinding for the wrong reasons?
- What if my business is profitable but morally/spiritually misaligned?
I've talked to other founders and they say similar things, that money
and growth feel empty without purpose. But nobody has a real FRAMEWORK
for figuring out if your business is actually aligned with your values
and beliefs.
How do you stay grounded as an entrepreneur? How do you know your
business is building something meaningful, not just making you rich?
For those of you with faith,how do you integrate that into your business?
Why do I feel empty when my business succeeds? The spiritual side of entrepreneurship nobody talks about.
byu/Quirky-Pollution-930 inEntrepreneur
Posted by Quirky-Pollution-930
6 Comments
That hollow feeling is a signal, not a problem.
Money feels empty when it’s the goal, not the byproduct. When growth is tied to ego or status, the win has nowhere to land.
A simple check I use:
If this never got applause, would I still respect myself doing it?
If the answer drifts, that’s your cue to realign, not quit.
For me – I’m building my business alongside my personal brand which I look at as separate.
One of my favorite things to do with content marketing is shift people’s beliefs. I find a lot of fulfillment in this.
I want to give them permission to become a better version of themselves.
I want to take a stand for the underdog.
I want to fight against common enemies.
I love making people laugh.
I let people in on my life so they can be inspired and see how what I teach radiates into all areas.
I share my faith – but I make it accessible for those who wrestle with theirs. I don’t write for other Christians so I purposefully talk about how imperfect I am and how I question God. And then when I have my audience’s trust I talk about all the ways he shows up for me in my life.
You probably don’t have to be a personal brand to start incorporating a message that shifts people’s beliefs – the brand you’re building now works.
Everything in my life is breaking down except my business and finances, where I thrive and thrive but without spiritual satisfaction.
I have long since accepted that my life is empty and meaningless, and embraced a path to wealth that is closed to a lot of people.
Studies show that the core value of happiness is the persuit of a goal. Attainment is not zero but near irrelevant. Additionally, a loss has twice the emotional impact of a win. With this in mind, a win never feels as strong as a loss (or series of losses) and the win is the journey.
Biologically, it makes sense. If we’re not chasing the hunt, we don’t eat protien. The chase is the endorphin engine. We need the motivation to outrun the game. The meal is the prize. It’s nicer than berries but we need to love the hunt. If we lose the hunt, we lose the game.
I used to feel empty about my wins too. I decided to start shifting goal posts. Each goal accomplished, I set my sights on the next goal. Even prior to the goal, I’m looking past the posts to the next thing. This has worked out really fucking well. My cash turnover has been amazing.
Regarding the meanful portion, it’s easy to lose sight. I think the thrill of the hunt causes many entrepreneurial types to just focus on the financials.
One of my goals for this year is to build a summer camp for poor kids. It’s going to cost millions for the land alone. Hey, it’s a deduction though.
My goal is helping people.
My business is in healthcare, I help save lives and I’ve built my business itself as a means to employ people with lifelong careers.
Not every business needs to be like this, most aren’t. But even if what you do as a job feels hollow, you can use that wealth and freedom on other projects and goals. Maybe you use it to fund and fuel something that you think will satisfy you.
You don’t need a framework. Identify your “why” like why did you start in the first place? What made you excited to start? Why do you continue to get up in the morning and grind? A little retrospective goes a long way. I find writing/journaling helps me stay focused on what matters; my routine involves a morning alignment (check in on why I care about anything today) and an evening review (did I do what I wanted and am I happy with the results).