I have never been a person to shy away from honesty and transparency so I have made no secret of my struggles with my own mental wellbeing. I think that most entrepreneurs suffer this but I guess my personality type compounds this issue. I fall into a rare Myers-Briggs profile "INFJ" of which one of the characteristic traits is being a 'perfectionist'. This constant search for perfection in everything leads me to construct my 'ideals' in my head and try to make my reality align with those ideals. This characteristic is probably one of my greatest assets as a creative individual because it means I am never short of ideas and ways to make things better and I can always visualise a perfect state for these ideas but when reality doesn't line up, I start to stress out. This happens in every area of life so I consciously have to work towards levels of contentment in every area of life.
My career has always been an area where I have had an ideal and standard that I wanted to achieve and this ideal has been elusive for a while. Add to this challenges that have set me back, decisions that have cost me and a lack of support, outside of my wife, you can understand how the feelings that lead to emotional, mental and physical fatigue can quickly develop and cause burnout.
I am grateful that I have my faith, friends and access to professional advice, which have helped me to find my 'happy place' without giving up on my dreams and aspirations. I know my strengths and weaknesses and work within these to drive towards my goals.
Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey because the people around you cannot see what is in your head, sometimes cannot appreciate and understand your vision and definitely are not as invested in your dream as you are. This can lead to a sense of isolation and give way to many other negative feelings and it is important to know how to recognise these and how to manage them.
If you are struggling with your mental health and you need help, you can reach out to the following:

• Your general practitioner (GP)
• www.mind.org.uk
• mentalhealth.org.uk
• www.nhs.uk/mental-health/

David Daley        

Mr Daley is the principal consultant of Yellow Eight, a design agency that focuses on digital marketing, user experience, functional design and analytics. Yellow Eight exists to help businesses make themselves more noticeable online, improve their customer experience and to convert more leads.

Mr Daley is also the founder of The Daley Perspective Network and host of the Daley Perspective podcast (available on all major streaming platforms).

You can connect with Mr Daley on the following platforms:

Instagram - @dydaley

Facebook - David Daley

Stereo - @dydaley

Twitter - @dydaley

Clubhouse - @dydaley

You can connect with Yellow Eight on the following platforms:

Instagram - @yelloweightdesign

Facebook - @yelloweightdesign

Twitter - @yelloweightdsgn

You can connect with The Daley Perspective Network on the following platforms:

Instagram - @daleyperspectivenetwork

Facebook - @daleyperspectivenetwork

Twitter - @DaleyNetwork

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