Believing in Yourself When You Can’t See The Goal Line

December has always been a month of reflection for me. Not only is it my birth month, it’s the last month of the year and hard to believe that another year is about to come to a close.

It’s also a very busy month with year-end duties mixing with holiday parties as the year rushes to a finish while the next one waits just around the corner.

As an entrepreneur, that mix of anticipation and the unknown is familiar.

You move forward day after day with a vision in your head, a strategy on paper, and a thousand unpredictable obstacles in the way. Yet, the goal line, clearly defined in theory, rarely looks anything like the one in your business plan.

Being an entrepreneur is a lot like stepping onto a football field that’s been turned vertically. You know there’s an end zone somewhere. You know the plan should work, but when the terrain shifts, the markers disappear, and the field looks nothing like it should.

Belief becomes the only compass you have.

Entrepreneurship is not glamorous. It’s not the highlight reels people see on social media.

It’s waking up earlier than you want, doing things you’ve never done before, calculating risk with imperfect information, and pushing forward even when the “evidence” suggests that you’re outmatched.

It’s managing operations, payroll, supply chains, and customer expectations all while trying to keep the long-term vision intact.

And yes, there are moments when the voices around you say, “Are you sure?” Worse, there are moments when you echo that same question back at yourself.

But here’s what I’ve learned after decades of building businesses, solving problems on the fly, and operating in Rhode Island’s uniquely challenging environment:

Your belief in yourself is the Engine That Keeps You Going…

In business, like in life, progress isn’t always straightforward, and often without warning and at the oddest time, something clicks. A breakthrough, a new partnership, a small win that opens a bigger door, and that moment only arrives if you stay on the field.

December is a reminder of that. It’s the last chapter of this year’s story, but it’s also the springboard to the next one.

Experience is an amazing teacher, and it makes next year’s playbook clearer, your instincts stronger, and your resilience deeper.

For every entrepreneur out there, and for anyone fighting toward a goal that still feels out of reach, here’s the December message I’m carrying with me…

The goal line doesn’t have to be visible for you to reach it. You just have to keep moving and believe in yourself, even when nothing around you seems to add up.

Here’s to a strong finish to 2025 and an even stronger start to 2026!

To everyone struggling out there, you got this.