The Hidden Struggle No One Talks About in Starting Over

Week 4: The Jiminy Cricket Week

The Starting over Voice is real
“No one’s looking.”
“Your voice isn’t wanted.”
“Go get a job.”

That’s what the little voice (yep, Jiminy Cricket) has been whispering on repeat this week. Some days it’s a whisper, some days it’s a shout.

But here’s the thing I keep reminding myself: Everyday Mastery isn’t about applause. It’s not about big numbers or instant wins. It’s just showing up anyway—even when the room feels empty.

I picture it like climbing through storm clouds, with four glowing stones floating in front of me. Each one carved with a word: DOUBT. REST. RESILIENCE. CONSISTENCY. They glow just enough to see the next step. That’s what a starting over journey feels like. You don’t get the whole staircase—you get one stone at a time.

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The Raw Numbers of My Starting Over Journey

42 followers across 8 platforms (up from 6 last week—okay, that part feels good)

1–2 blog views all month

1 Substack subscriber (and yes, it’s my mum, bless her)

£80 down the drain testing TikTok/Instagram ads… don’t do that when you have no clue what you’re doing

That 6-hour Caleb Ralston video I swore I’d finish by Week 2? Still at 1 hour. Life got in the way.

It’s not glamorous. Definitely not impressive. But it’s real.

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The Rest Thing (Turns Out It’s Not Laziness)

I took my first proper break since starting Everyday Mastery. A real holiday. At first, I beat myself up for missing a weekly post. Felt like I’d “failed.”

But then it hit me—rest isn’t laziness. Mental rest is actually the thing that makes consistency possible. However Without it? Burnout. Total crash.

I’ve written before about small habits and burnout. Taking that break forced me to practice what I preach. Consistency doesn’t mean grinding nonstop. It means building something that survives life happening.

Rest is productive, (I need to tattoo that somewhere.) as a result, I’m starting to see rest as a habit that protects growth instead of stealing from it

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The Shiny Object Temptations when starting over

This week my brain got loud with old tricks again:
“Maybe restart the candle business?”
“Team up with mum on a new idea?”
“Podcast! YouTube! Something bigger!”

That’s my pattern: I get hyped, try something, don’t see results fast enough, and… jump ship.

But this time? I caught myself.
I promised I’d stick to this.
And for once—I actually am.

Shiny objects feel exciting still they’re usually just overwhelm dressed up in ambition’s clothes.

For more on why this happens, James Clear on focus explains it better than I can.

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The Simon Squibb Moment

Right when the “no one’s listening” voice was peaking, I saw Simon Squibb post about uploading a video that got 9 views. Nine. And he kept going.

That reminder was like a breadcrumb on the path. Proof that I’m not the only one shouting into silence. Proof that the void isn’t empty—it just feels empty at first.

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Invisible Progress (The Stuff Numbers Don’t Show)

Despite the doubts, this journey is changing me:

• My brain’s on fire with new ideas—scribbles everywhere
• I’m learning nonstop (thanks YouTube rabbit holes)
• Meanwhile Skills are stacking up quietly—design, writing, systems—none of it shows in analytics yet
• Still Each week I don’t quit feels like a tiny rebellion, a win against old me

It’s addictive, in a weird way. Every little step feels massive. And maybe that’s what real growth actually is—the stuff nobody claps for but that builds you into someone new.

For context, Verywell Mind on growth mindset explains why small invisible wins matter more than we realise.

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Is It Normal to Feel Alone When Starting Over?

If I’m honest, the hardest part is the silence.
One or two comments would change everything—even if they said, “Mate, this is rubbish.”

The rejection wouldn’t sting half as much as the not-knowing. Am I helping? Am I just rambling into nothing?

But then again—this is part of it, isn’t it? Creating without proof. Sharing even when nobody’s clapping. That’s where resilience is born.

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The Reality Check: Money + Parenthood

Here’s the kicker: money. I need some. Fast.

But I don’t have time for a “real” job. My daughter’s heading back to work soon (so proud of her for bouncing back after post-natal struggles), and I’ll be on babysitting duty four days a week.

So yeah—the classic startup paradox:
Need money to build. Need time to build money and at the same time, I’m choosing to treat parenting and chaos as part of the resilience training

Add parenting into the mix and you’ve got chaos. But maybe that’s the point. Maybe this is resilience training in disguise.

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Week 4 Lessons (A Little Messy, A Lot True)

• Rest isn’t weakness—it’s what keeps you in the game
• Noticing your old patterns is step one in breaking them
• Other people’s “9 views” stories matter—they remind you it’s normal
• Progress isn’t just numbers—sometimes it’s the stuff only you can feel
• The path feels harder before it feels easier—that’s not failure, it’s growth
• Hearing the doubt voice doesn’t mean you’re failing—it means you’re fighting

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Looking Ahead

I’m staying on the 8 platforms. Even if traction is meh. Because I know this: audience building is like compound interest—boring and invisible until suddenly it’s not.

Next week’s goals:

• Chip away at that Caleb Ralston video (one hour at a time)
• Keep posting honestly, even if no one replies
• Remember: every creator I admire once had a week where they wondered if anyone cared

Spoiler: someone always is. Even if it’s just future me, re-reading this one day and thinking, “Thank god you didn’t quit in Week 4.”

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A Final Thought on the Starting Over Journey

I’m 45. Starting over with no money, no clear path, just a stubborn belief that I can still grow.

I don’t want “just a job.” I want to help people discover they’re capable of more—because I wish someone had told me that earlier.

People I love i see drowning—depression, hopelessness, feeling stuck. I know these tools can help. Even my daughter—she picked up a Zen book and a journal on holiday. Tiny step. But maybe it’s her first one.

If one person a week reads this and thinks, “I’m not alone” or “maybe I can try again”—that’s enough. That’s the win.

This isn’t just a business experiment. This is me finding meaning.

So if you’re out there, building something, doubting yourself, hearing your own Jiminy Cricket—know this: you’re not alone. The doubt means you’re alive. The fear means you’re growing.

The glow of those stones? It’s still there, keep climbing because ultimately this journey isn’t about proving anything to anyone—it’s about refusing to quit

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👉 The next week, overwhelm hit hard. Read Week 5: Battling Information Overload.