I’ve turned this song into a full blown instagram story at least many times over the past year. If you follow me there, you’ve probably thought, What’s going on with this dude? Why is “I’m a Mess” always playing at odd hours mornings, mid meetings, or at 2 a.m. Let me explain!
. . .
I’ve turned this song into a full blown instagram story at least many times over the past year. If you follow me there, you’ve probably thought, What’s going on with this dude? Why is “I’m a Mess” always playing at odd hours mornings, mid meetings, or at 2 a.m. Let me explain?
So here I am, sitting in the office at exactly 8:00 p.m. laptop open, cold coffee to my left trying to explain. Not just because of its title, but because every lyric feels like it was written during a particularly stressful week at Loline. And if you’ve ever tried to build something from scratch while pretending you have it all together, chances are it feels like your story too.
Omah Lay didn’t write “I’m a Mess” for entrepreneurs. But the first time I heard it, I stopped in the middle of scheduling a post, stared at my coffee stained keyboard, the same Mac I spilled coffee on just weeks after buying it and whispered, “Finally, someone turned my entire leadership journey into a three minute confession.
This is not your average heartbreak song. This is a quiet anthem for people who run things. And by “run,” I mean sprint, stumble, and occasionally trip over an unexpected tax issue(If you know you know).
“Sometimes I’m happy, sometimes I’m sad”
is not just a lyric. It’s a 24 hour cycle in the life of anyone leading a startup. One moment you’re getting mentioned in a press piece, the next you’re wondering why your unlimited from Ethio Telecom is actually working at the speed sloth from Zootopia, smiling, blinking slowly, and downloading a 3MB file like it’s negotiating world peace(I don't like politics just so you know)
The real tragedy is that people see the results. The curated posts, the milestones, the wins. What they don’t see is what Omah Lay perfectly describes as
“I’m overthinking everything.”
I’ve written, edited, and trashed full strategies at 2 a.m. because my brain decided it didn’t like the font size on a slide.
“I don’t know how to keep company,”
he sings, and once again I felt attacked. Not because I’m antisocial, but because I have quite literally sacrificed my weekends, group chats, and any chance at a normal relationship to build something that lives rent free in my head.
Friends plan road trips. I plan content calendars.
People ask how I unwind. I open Google Analytics.
Someone once asked me what I’m passionate about outside of Loline. I blinked. Slowly. For a very long time(the moment the cognac comes in).
“I’ve been drinking too many shots of cognac,”
Omah Lay confesses. For him, it’s cognac. For me, it’s anything that starts with a “C” and has an alcohol percentage above 35%. Cognac? Of course. Coffee pretending to be whiskey? Absolutely, but not the peaceful kind of coffee, I’m talking me on espresso shots energy(if you know you know). That one mystery bottle I tried in China, Baijiu, I think? Yeah, don’t ask questions. Some people drink to forget heartbreak. I drink to survive pitch meetings, design delays, and that one client who “just wants to revise the whole strategy real quick.” And no I’m not an alcoholic. I’m just… professionally overwhelmed. With style.
“One for the belly, another for the broken heart.”
I took that personally. Because nothing hits harder than reading a rejection email right after i posted about “new opportunities loading.” on LinkedIn.
“Wear my Louis Vuitton, post for the pic, let the camera light hit my teeth.”
So yes, you smile. You show up. You act like you didn’t just almost cry over a failed newsletter automation. And somehow, you convince yourself it’s all worth it.
“I do it differently, everybody can see.”
That line? It hits. Because when you’re juggling creativity, team leadership, social media, and minor identity crises, it is different. You’re not just working. You’re living inside the idea you once scribbled in a notebook and yes it’s exhausting, glorious, and unexplainably addictive.
Final Thoughts from a Slightly Overworked CEO
“I’m a mess” isn’t an excuse. It’s a reflection. A soft admission that building something meaningful often comes with chaos, overthinking, missed calls from your mother(Dont worry i dont have anyone else to call me), and a social life that now exists only on my phone.
So when I say Omah Lay captured the founder experience in that song, I mean it. Not the external, pitchdeck version of leadership, but the messy, latenight, I haven’t responded to anyone in days version.And somehow, it makes me feel okay about it all.
Because the truth is, I may be a mess but I’m building something. And for now, that’s enough.
