There's something nobody's saying.
Just because you're stable, balanced, regulated... doesn't mean you'll succeed.
The truth?
Founders who explode the charts often have an unstable, disturbing, uncomfortable engine.
What if your "troubles" were actually your superpowers?
1. Hypomania: the fuel of war
Having trouble sleeping? Do you have one idea after another? Are you a night owl?
Welcome to the world of functional hypomania.
"A maniac thinks he's God.
A hypomaniac (very common among entrepreneurs), thinks he's been chosen by God to succeed in business" - John GartnerII.
This is no joke. The features are clear:
- Reduced need for sleep
- Overflowing energy
- Ability to give it your all for 72 hours non-stop
- Expansive charisma, unlimited ambition, ability to seduce investors & teams
2. ADHD: speed, vision, controlled chaos
Do you get bored quickly? Do you change the subject in the middle of a pitch?
Do you hate repetitive tasks?
→ It's probably ADHD. And it's a misunderstood blessing.
The studies are conclusive:
- People with ADHD are 3x more likely to start a business
- Their brains seek constant stimulation
- They pick up on weak signals that others ignore
- They are able tohyperfocus on projects they are passionate about
They're allergic to slowness, boredom and the status quo.
In other words: made to disrupt.
But only if we structure around them.
3. Obsession: the real barrier to entry
You brood. You rehash. You rework the same subject 27 times.
It'sclinical obsession.
And it could be your real edge.
"Successful founders are often those who don't know when to stop."
That's what makes the difference:
- You're still testing at 2 a.m.
- Rereading your pitch decks at the airport
- You dream of your customers
This level of involvement is not healthy.
But it is often necessary.
Mediocre projects are born out of comfort.
Great businesses are born out of fixation, a rage to solve, a refusal to let go.
4. What if your "disorder" was your power tool?
Society wants balanced people.
But entrepreneurship doesn't reward the average.
It rewards useful deviance.
Hypomania = creation
ADHD = disruption
Obsession = execution
Anxiety = anticipation
Borderline = ability to absorb extreme tension
Brilliant founders are not the healthiest.
They are the ones who have turned their "disorder" into a tool.
5. So, what's next?
- Stop pathologizing.
It's not a bug. It's you. - Accept your operating system.
Nervous? All the better. Are you unstable? So much the better.
But install a firewall: routines, surroundings, physical anchoring.
In conclusion
Normal people don't undertake.
Normal people can't stand pressure.
Normal people don't obsess.
Photo: Dan Parlante