🕺🏻 Stop Knocking on Closed Doors—There's Always an Open One Nearby

I recently found powerful advice for entrepreneurs:

“Don’t knock on a closed door. There’s an open one nearby that will lead you to the same place—or somewhere better.”

That stuck with me. Founders often push at dead ends, thinking we're being persistent, when we're just being stubborn. The same persistence we admire can keep us from spotting better, faster paths.

When is it smart to keep going, and when are we wasting time? It’s tricky to tell the difference.

A quote from Haruki Murakami helped me think about this:

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” I’ve liked that quote for years, but only recently it clicked.

Meaningful work is hard. Long hours, fewer breaks, missing out on fun stuff—it’s part of the deal. That’s the pain of building something. The pain of getting out of you comfort zone. It’s normal. Maybe useful.

Suffering is different. It’s when the work makes you miserable. When you’re not motivated by the mission, but by fear of failure or need to prove something—to yourself or someone else. Or when you’re constantly comparing your progress to others and feeling behind. That’s when frustration sets in. You start resenting the process. You feel stuck.

The main signs of suffering, for me, are feeling sorry for yourself and judging others. Noticing the difference between pain and suffering has been helpful. When I find myself forcing something that isn’t working, I pause and ask:

• Why am I still doing this?

• Is this the good kind of hard? Or am I stuck in a loop of frustration and ego?

If it feels like the second one, it’s probably time to look for another door.

Until next Sunday,
George Levin
^{LinkedIn | Consulting}