One of the things that I see founders trip up on all the time is they get going and they are a runaway train.

If you keep going back to the same investors with the same story and without significant progress, it’s a negative signal. You need to cross those investors off of your list.

There are three things that I’m looking for in a cold email. 1) What is this business? 2) Is this for me? 3) is this interesting?

Go back through your deck and apply the principles of essentialism. What is absolutely essential? And I’ll give you a hint, it’s way less than you think.

What is the thing that you are so desperately clinging to? Is it relevant? And is it going to help your business get through these next few turbulent weeks and then through the next trying months? Find those sacred cows and banish them.

Regardless of your situation, the startup world fundamentally changed on Friday. I have two pieces of advice for you. The first is: acknowledge your reality.

“This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” – James Stockdale

Whatever your reality is, own it.

I saved the best for last and it’s possibly the hardest. The number one thing you can do for yourself is practice self-compassion.

Lack of good deep sleep impacts your physical health, your mental health, your mental acuity, and even your reaction times. To keep your productivity high and your mental health strong, create a sleep routine and get good sleep.

While I’ve spent the last week and a half talking to you about tips and tricks for mental health, I’m not a trained professional, but I know the benefit of having one. I strongly encourage all founders to find a great therapist.

When was the last time that you gave yourself permission to spend time on yourself? It’s not enough to just spend time doing something that you want– to take a break one night and then fret all about the things that you could be doing or should be doing. This is completely counterproductive. Giving yourself permission is the critical part of this.