I was listening to Alan Watts and I got to thinking about whether the relief of suffering could be approached through creating a system or framework.  Being a solopreneur inevitably involves suffering and so it is important that we can deal with suffering in order not to block our ability to progress or be productive.

When I was in banking, one of my engineering customers had to deal with the grief of his son being knocked down and killed on the busy A5, which they lived beside. I witnessed the decline of his business and it took 5 years before his business began to recover.  He lost all sense of purpose and, in the meantime, his family, employees and customers suffered along with him.  (Being an empath, I suffered too!) So this is an important post as we will ALL encounter suffering of one sort or another while we are in business.

I therefore took the transcript of the video and asked my GPT Thought-Leader Engine to comment.  Here is the response:

⚙️ SYSTEM: The 4-Step Suffering-to-Freedom Method

A repeatable process for transforming suffering into clarity, action, and wisdom.

1. Pause and Witness

  • Recognise the moment of suffering.

  • Stop resisting. Breathe. Witness the sensation without narrative.

Cue: “What am I actually feeling right now—physically, emotionally?”

2. Inquire and Listen

  • Treat suffering as a message, not a mistake.

  • Ask: “What is this here to teach me?”

Cue:

  • Grief → What did I love deeply?

  • Fear → What am I clinging to?

  • Anger → What deeper hurt lies beneath?

3. Accept and Integrate

  • Accept the pain without adding stories or shame.

  • Let the feeling flow without blocking or numbing.

Cue: “Can I let this pass through without building a cage around it?”

4. Act From Wisdom, Not Wound

  • Take conscious, aligned action after integrating the lesson.

  • Let the suffering inform your path—not hijack it.

Cue: “What becomes clear now that I’ve seen this pain for what it is?”

🧠 FRAMEWORK: The Suffering Compass (4 Truths)

A mental model for reframing suffering’s role in your life and business.

Compass Point Teaching
North: Resistance → Suffering Fighting pain creates more pain
South: Acceptance → Freedom Letting go doesn’t weaken you—it liberates you
East: Awareness → Insight Pain carries messages—if you listen, you grow
West: Integration → Action Wisdom only lives when applied

You can visualise it like a compass: suffering points you home—inward.

🧘‍♂️ Why It Matters for Solopreneurs

Entrepreneurship = constant exposure to:

  • Rejection (sales, visibility)

  • Uncertainty (revenue, direction)

  • Isolation (working alone)

  • Comparison (others succeeding faster)

  • Personal Difficulties (take your choice!)

Most try to resist, numb, or distract from these feelings.

But with this system, you:

  • Shorten the emotional recovery cycle

  • Make meaning from the hard stuff

  • Stay grounded and self-led, even when things shake

🪞 Signature Line (for Thought-Leadership Use)

“Suffering isn’t a signal to stop. It’s a compass pointing inward. Follow it—and it leads to clarity, not collapse.”