This is not advice. This is not a recipe. This is me thinking, to me.
This short essay is about building things – projects, companies, etc.
It is about where to start. Or even, how to think about where to start. I hope it serves as a reminder to myself, as I see many of my friends now working on interesting ideas, companies, etc. I really believe in the people I talk to, I think they will win big. Many of them, if not this company, perhaps the next or one after, will go on to be written about in the history books.
This is a reminder about where / how people start. I have spent a ton of time reading/listening to interviews, biographies etc. about “beginnings.” I do not believe in hindsight recipes one can follow to repeat success. I subscribe to the idea of “meta-stable” – inputs always evolving while output remains the same.
There are no shortcuts/recipes for success – especially in company building.
But there are patterns.
And the most obvious pattern I see is on something that I fundamentally misunderstood for a long time. It is about this turning point, this cusp, this thing I think about as the “moment of seriousness.”
And what I, and I assume others out there in the world, got wrong (or at least think I got wrong) for so many years was that people were born destined to be successful. I think it is important to remind myself that, even though I sometimes question, there are no superheroes. There are no extra-powerful beings. Everyone is human.
Movies make it seem that way. Zuck came up with the idea. Goes on to billion dollar company…boom.
Shark Tank is the best worst example. They celebrate ideas. Everyone always talks about that cool idea they saw on Shark Tank. Rarely do we celebrate the people.
The grinders. The hustlers. The people who actually do.
The thing I have been thinking about more, though, is getting to that point where I understand myself and a problem area enough where I figure – this is time to get serious.
I have been playing games for the past few years, doing contracts, side projects, writing. I am no professional. I am not treating this that seriously.
I think about this in the shower. I sleep less.
But how committed am I?
When will I get serious?
I think that is the interesting question…when do successful people really decide to go all in. As I wrote about the other day…when do you know? When do you know to give up? When do you know to fully commit?
I think the biggest change in thought I have had lately is just how much of success is entirely internal. Yes, of course there are external factors. It would be ignorant to say otherwise.
But, at least optimistically, I figure I can do anything. It is on me entirely to figure things out.
If there is a wall ahead of me…I must break it. Jump it. Go around. Tunnel. Literally any challenge ahead..
And that starts with getting serious.
Start with yourself. Start with understanding what you want. Start with your personal goals, your motivations, etc.
The game of working may be (and hopefully will be) fun.
But that hard look in the mirror probably will not be fun. I have been procrastinating it for years. I am 21 soon. I am no longer the young hustler. I am running out of time.
It is about time to get real.
I could quit now. I could slow down. I could give up.
And perhaps I will. (or so at least I value the freedom to be able to).
But perhaps I will not. And perhaps I will get something to click soon.
Perhaps…just perhaps I am on the cusp of something worth everything.
Also published on Medium.