Defining the Entrepreneurial Spirit:

In “Wired This Way”, author Jessica Carson, a clinical psychologist, neuroscientist, and venture capitalist defines the term “entrepreneurial spirit” as individuals characterized by their intention rather than their job description, and can turn nothing into something for a living — they use themselves as vehicles for the creative process at scale.

To comprehend the full dynamics of the entrepreneurial spirit, Carson identifies both the internal and external variables that contribute to the paradoxical nature of creatives. From her years of research and experience within the entrepreneurial ecosystem she’s observed and overcome the undeniable physiological, psychological, and cultural challenges faced by creatives.

These include genetic vulnerabilities, environmental triggers, and psychological predispositions that can intensify a creator’s experiences of distress and disease.

1. Clinical & Subclinical Mental Health Issues

• Depression — 30% of entrepreneurs report a lifetime history of depression.
• ADHD — 29% of entrepreneurs report a lifetime history of ADHD.
• Substance Abuse — 12% of entrepreneurs report a lifetime history of substance abuse.
• Bipolar — 11% of entrepreneurs report a lifetime history of bipolar disorder.
• Hypomania — often characterized by high energy, hypomania is a mild form of mania.

2. Emotional & Spiritual Challenges

• Imposter Syndrome — a psychological pattern where an entrepreneur doubts their accomplishments, believes success is due to luck, and a fear of being labeled a fraud.
• Crisis of Meaning — a moment where an entrepreneur’s sense of meaning, purpose, value, or self is threatened.
• Obsessive Passion — a type of passion where entrepreneurs is compulsively committed to their work leading to burnout.

3. Stress — Related Illnesses

• Weakened Immunity — intense and/or persistent stress can weaken your body’s immune system.
• Sleeping Problems — many entrepreneurs report stress-related sleeping problems.
• GI Troubles — research is increasingly supportive of prolonged stress triggering the onset of GI disorders.

Personally learning about these common external and internal challenges has been enlightening to acknowledge my own entrepreneurial predispositions. Oddly enough, it’s somewhat comforting to learn that bouts with depression, imposter syndrome, and stress is common amongst the creatives and entrepreneurs. As I look toward the future, my mindset shifts toward actively acknowledging my predispositions, building health strategies to overcome them, and sharing my creative journey with others.

In addition to these internal and external challenges, the entrepreneurial spirit is influenced by the following factors:

1. Genetic Predisposition: the prevalence of distress among entrepreneurs can be attributed to entrepreneurial work, culture of entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the unique wiring of the individuals who self-select into entrepreneurship.

• Depression: From an evolutionary perspective, researchers believe depressions may be an adaptive state that allows individuals to conserve energy, mindfully engage with their environment, and focus on the problem at hand.
• ADHD: Dopamine receptor genes — responsible for novelty seeking and other curious qualities of the entrepreneurial spirit — have long been associated with ADHD.
• Addiction: entrepreneurs often walk the fine line between passion and obsession, the entrepreneur with with addictive tendencies may prove particularly devoted and impassioned in the face of adversity and challenge.
• Bipolar: During manic periods, the entrepreneur may experience increased activity and energy, heightened pride, and ability to improvise. During depressive periods, they become more focused and practical.

2. Nature of Entrepreneurial Work: while a uniquely rewarding type of work, it can pose significant threats to many aspects of an entreprenuer’s health and well-being.

• Physiological: entrepreneurship is known for its devotion and effort, “hustling”, which can rapidly deplete the entrepreneur’s physiological resources.
• Safety: entrepreneurs are expose to high levels of uncertainty and risk. Chronic exposure to the fight-or-flight response can trigger inflammatory processes that promote mental and physical illness.
• Love/Belonging: especially at the beginning stages of a venture, entrepreneurship can be suprisingly isolating. Lack of social ties can detrimentally affect entrepreneurial well-being.
• Esteem: entrepreneurial success or failure has a weighty impact on one’s self-esteem.
• Self-Actualization: entrepreneurship can serve as a means to self-actualize. Beware, disruptions in the process of self-actualization are often followed by a crisis of meaning, identify, or other spiritual-existential distress.

3. Culture of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: the entrepreneurial ecosystem is rooted in the values and beliefs of the masculine archetype.

• Qualities of Masculine Archetypes: Discerning, Protective, Reasoning, Discriminating, Distinction, Boundaries, Structure, Product
• Qualities of Feminine Archetypes: Intuitive, Accepting, Feeling, Unifying, Relationship, Wholeness, Beauty, Process

This predominant culture of masculinity — often toxic masculinity — can exacerbate an entrepreneur’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual distress.

While the creative and entrepreneurial path seems daunting and intimidating, remember the most challenging journeys end in the most fulfilling rewards. The work on an entrepreneurial spirit is a life’s work. Creators have an enormous impact on the development of humankind on a global scale. Entrepreneurship is the heart of social and economic growth, and responsible for everything from job creation to social trends to the adoption of new technologies. Entrepreneurial spirits create the next version of reality for all of us. Every human is responsible for leaving their mark on the world, entrepreneurial spirits are often the ones who do so at scale and therefore have the potential to leave the largest impact — positive or negative.

It is in the best interest of humanity to invest in the spearhead of of the creative process: the entrepreneur. By investing in the well-being of creators, we invest in the future of humanity. If we want to create a happy and healthy future, we must ensure the designers of the future happy and healthy too.

In the past couple of months I have shifted to a plant based diet, exercising five days a week, drinking a gallon of water per day, and practicing both yoga and meditation daily. Undergoing, documenting, and sharing my journey on my social platforms I aim to inspire and motivate others to embark on their own health-centered creative journeys. Compounding daily healthy habits will lead to exponential health results, I strongly encourage you to start your own.

By educating and encouraging the development of self-awareness in entrepreneurs, we will inevitably create products that reflect this heightened awareness. Elevating the intentionality of products is a nice goal, but elevating the consciousness and intentionality of creators will yield healthier, safer, and happier world. We only have one life to live so be intentional, turn your ideas into reality, and serve as a vessel to scale a positive impact on the world.