You Don’t Need to Suffer to Be Successful

By Tricia Scott.

I recently got back from a two-day break overlooking the sea in Wales (and when I say overlooking, my hotel was actually ON the pier), there really isn’t much I love more than falling asleep to the sound of waves, you know? So, when I woke up on a Sunday morning with a feeling of general unease that I couldn't quite put my finger on, I just had to poke around and figure it out (Sadist that I am), and you know what it was? 

Guilt. 

The audacity. 

My beautiful, overworked brain was just getting into rhythm with those crashing waves when, BAM, came the intrusive thoughts. Things like 

‘You didn't finish those reports on Friday.’

‘You need to update your to-do list before you forget about.. (insert any of 100 things here) for Monday’

‘Shouldn’t you be doing something about now” 

Luckily, I’ve studied myself for long enough to be aware of my brain's tendency to play this game whenever I start to relax, so I’ve become ninja-like in stop, drop, and roll when it kicks in, but that didn't stop me from eye rolling myself (hard) in the mirror and wondering how we got to this? 

When did we start to equate pleasure with cheating?

Like if we’re not half-dead from overwork, the success doesn’t “count,” or that we must earn our joy by first proving we can survive without it.

Spare me.

If this feels like you, then let me do you the ultimate favour and tell you unequivocally - pleasure isn’t the opposite of productivity -  it’s the fuel for it.

Because entrepreneurship isn’t an endurance sport. It’s an experiment in freedom, and i’m willing to bet that you didn’t sign up for self-employment to hate Mondays and yourself.

You did it because you wanted more. More time, meaning, creativity, life. But somewhere between the invoices, algorithms, and endless to-do lists, you forgot that fun was part of the strategy.

Joy is magnetic. 

This isn't some woo-woo strategy; this is the work. 

Pleasure expands your capacity for courage, creativity, and cash. When you feel good, you do good, and your clients, your community, and your bank account can feel it.

So today, consider this your permission slip to stop proving how much you can suffer.

You won’t lose credibility. You’ll gain energy.

And I’d bet my Welsh sea view you’ll get a PayPal ping while you’re at it — because joy is a business strategy and it's one actually worth investing in.

You started this for freedom. Don’t forget to live it.

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Tricia Scott is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Female CEO – Create Evolve Overcome, a global magazine, community, and platform championing women in business at every stage. A startup mentor and multi-company director, she has personally mentored more than 100 women and is an unapologetic amplifier of women’s stories, helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs step out of hiding and into their power, building businesses that feel as good as they look.

Through The Female CEO, Tricia curates a worldwide stage for women’s voices, strategies, and successes—because visibility isn’t a luxury, it’s a catalyst. When she’s not deep in conversation with her brilliant team of editors and contributors, you’ll find her with her MacBook in one hand and coffee (or something fizzy) in the other, dreaming up the next big way to make women feel seen, supported, and unstoppable.