Michael Phelps and Other Leaders on Finding Happiness: Stop Tying Your Self-Worth to Your Career Success (Video) 'Being able to look at yourself and like who you see in the mirror -- for so long, I never did,' Phelps said. 'I looked at myself as a swimmer, and that was it.'
By Hayden Field
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When you're building a company or career, it's easy to stake your sense of self on the relative idea of "success." But that can be toxic in the long-term. In the second episode of Entrepreneur's video series on mental health, we explore how thought patterns around success can be the very root of unhappiness and even exacerbate mental health struggles for entrepreneurs.
Four sources with burgeoning careers or companies -- including American swimmer Michael Phelps, fitness entrepreneur Emily Skye, Of a Kind co-founder Claire Mazur and DIY MFA founder Gabriela Pereira -- share their own experiences when it comes to separating their sense of self-worth from the outcome of their work, as well as their advice for other founders.
"You really tend to stake a lot of your sense of self-worth or success on 'how this company goes,'" Mazur said. "If you're not taking care of yourself, then you're not performing well at work."
Watch the second episode of Entrepreneur's video series on mental health for more.
Related: Watch 3 Entrepreneurs Talk About Their Mental Health Journey -- and Their Advice for Other Founders
