I always tell people, don't worry about the haters, you are not a jackass whisperer. You have to be enough. You have to be your own validation.

In my safe corporate job, I might have made one decision of real significance a year. As an entrepreneur, it feels like I'm making a decision every minute - I have lots of balls in the air, and so yes, sometimes I drop one or two. And for the most part, the balls are made of rubber and they bounce. So instead of carrying one ball very carefully, being worried that I might not be holding it at exactly the right angle, I am juggling hundreds, and I have to remind myself to appreciate all the balls I keep up in the air for every one that gets dropped.

Every day, possibly every hour as an entrepreneur, you do something that you absolutely could have done better with more time, more information, more experience, or more money - all luxuries you can't afford. So you do your best, and you move forward. The key is to see the forward momentum and not beat yourself up about how it could have been better.

The world is more flexible than you might think.

The thing that I've learned about taking risks is that the key question to ask is, "If this goes terribly, what will happen?" Usually, the answer is that the world won't come to a screeching halt. Usually you can go back. Maybe not to the exact same job, but usually to the same type of job.

My first thought in moments of darkness and doubt is, "Who can I call? Who can I share this with?" Connection and sharing saves me every time.

When I think about work-life balance, I don't imagine it as a perfect day where I got to spend the exact right amount of time having an impact at work and snuggling with my kids at home. I never achieve that. But over the course of a month, or a quarter, or a year, I try to make time for the people and experiences I value.