Kenan,

You are making the fatal mistake of many successful entrepreneurs, you are letting your business define you instead of you defining the business. While being successful is important and gratifying, take the time and effort to work on things you don’t excel at, invest your new found wealth into yourself. Work on developing new skills, deeper relationships. Set new goals and work towards them

As an entrepreneur it’s an all consuming job, that unless you’ve walk in those shoes, few really understand. There are high personal costs as a result ranging from a single vision and all out drive that results in the loss of close relationships, permanent insecurity and more.

Now it’s time to slow down, reflect, decide what is really important, what do you want your legacy to be and work towards new goals. As with the hustle and drive required to build a successful startup with an successful exit, you now need to redirect that energy into what really matters, that is into your personal development.

The time invested now will pay dividends shortly. Take the time to volunteer, not in a management role, but further down the line. Spend quality time with others building a house for habitat for humanity or similar. This experience will help ground you and open your your communication skills, empathy and more. You’ll also realize that the issue isn’t you can pay the rent when others are struggling, it’s communication styles, an air about you that makes others feel potentially inferior. The economic issues have been there since the beginning of time, so stop using that as the excuse it is.

You have every right to be extremely proud of what you accomplished, however please realize that many will never see that level of success in their lifetime, even if they are multimillionaires born with silver spoons in their mouths. It’s the hustle and grind that made you successful, not capital. Many are not as committed, regardless of their personal economic circumstances.

I’ve always said, anyone can make money, if they are committed to doing so. It takes determination and drive that few actually will commit to and follow through with. The follow through is the hard part. The key now is to balance the drive as you have discovered. Your life hasn’t ended, you don’t have a fatal, terminal illness, you are a true success by many measures. Now it’s time to invest in yourself, and I don’t mean with new toys. Its a painful journey, however you have started om this path, just in writing this post. Money isnt your problem and money hasn’t ruined you. Money has now enabled you to move onto the next journey in your life. Ego will ruin people, Narcissism ruins people as does vanity.

In some ways you suffer from the lost entrepreneur syndrome, every waking moment was spent on building a very successful business, that you have now moved on from. In some ways it’s like living through the 7 stages of death. The key is to recognize it for what it is.

You’ll be far happier in the long run if you slow down, take some time for self reflection, decide what is really important and redirect you newfound time and energy into what you discover.

End of the day, it’s about showing your gratitude not just thinking about it. The truly successful expresse gratitude to everyone they encounter. Gratitude builds bridges and mends fences.