Fall in love with YOU being the problem.

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Here's a little reframe on the startup mantra of “fall in love with the problem, not the solution”: turning the lens back on you, the founder.

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You are likely the problem in most cases. Or at least, the perpetuator.

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And there's no shame in that! We're all flawed human beings in some manner.

(Remember what they say about meeting your heroes...).

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What if we embraced our issues with the same curiosity as we did with solving our customers' problems?

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In design thinking, we zoom out beyond the specific lack or frustration and look at the "problem space" to see if there are any clues for innovation.

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Zoom out from the problem (like this example from a past project reinventing air purifiers)
For instance: "clunky machines that are hard to differentiate":

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Purification: you can over-clean air

How might we (HMW) keep healthy phytoncides?

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Aesthetics: that's one ugly grey box in your living room

HMW make the purifier the most beautiful artifact at home?

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Environment: that's a lot to purify

HMW design personal air space?

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You can do the same with your own personal big, hairy problem:

For instance: "shiny object syndrome prevents me from staying on track"

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Variety: I have so many ideas

HMW channel those into content creation?

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Consistency: I get bored without variety

HMW dose variety with life stuff as a reward for finishing daily tasks?

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Environment: (show me your desk space)

HMW design your office into a temple of flow?

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Distractions: I have trouble focusing

HMW design a daily focus practice?

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Accountability: I get away with bad behavior working solo

HMW build in a witness?

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You are a fascinating creature.

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Personal gaps don't have to be weaknesses, but curious experiments of improvement and self-mastery. Get familiar with your stuckness and use it as the singular metric to keep things moving!

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As a founder, you are mastering the inner game along with the outer one!

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