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Do you really need to be rich to do the things that interest you? If not, and you're not in financial hardship, start doing those things you love now. Enjoy y

by yapcguy 13y ago

Do you really need to be rich to do the things that interest you? If not, and you're not in financial hardship, start doing those things you love now. Enjoy your life before responsibilities and old age catch upto you.

beat 13y ago
Old age is already catching up with me. I'm in my late 40s, twice the age of the theoretical ideal founder. Conscious awareness of your mortality is a great motivator. I have a working definition for "rich"... that is, have enough fungible wealth "in the bank" (low-risk investment) that you could live comfortably for the rest of your days, without ever again selling your time for money. By that definition, I'm not rich. And frankly, middle-class life is a trap in that regard. You can be comfortable at the moment, and save money so you can be responsible for your own needs when you're too old and worn out to work anymore. That sucks. I've been on that treadmill a long time, and I'm getting the hell off it. I already do things I love - but not as much as I want to, mostly because of the 40+ hours 50 weeks a year that a dayjob entails. I spend more time dayjobbing than anything I love, and I generally don't love the dayjob. On the other hand, that makes me a lot more determined and thoughtful about my approach to a startup than a lot of the younger founders I've seen. I want to do this once. I don't want to have to do it again. And a final thought on this... after a discussion many months ago with another entrepreneur (doing a medical device), I thought long and hard about my motivation. And here it is, in a nutshell... creating a company and a product that makes a real dent in how big enterprise software projects are done is the biggest thing I can realistically imagine myself doing. I'm aiming for the highest target that I believe I can hit. Getting rich is, frankly, just a side effect of that. And pride will carry me when love is no longer enough.
- wslh 13y ago
  I am in the same boat (or beat?). Sadly I can't follow you "formally" on HN!

by yapcguy 13y ago

beat 13y ago

Old age is already catching up with me. I'm in my late 40s, twice the age of the theoretical ideal founder. Conscious awareness of your mortality is a great motivator. I have a working definition for "rich"... that is, have enough fungible wealth "in the bank" (low-risk investment) that you could live comfortably for the rest of your days, without ever again selling your time for money. By that definition, I'm not rich. And frankly, middle-class life is a trap in that regard. You can be comfortable at the moment, and save money so you can be responsible for your own needs when you're too old and worn out to work anymore. That sucks. I've been on that treadmill a long time, and I'm getting the hell off it. I already do things I love - but not as much as I want to, mostly because of the 40+ hours 50 weeks a year that a dayjob entails. I spend more time dayjobbing than anything I love, and I generally don't love the dayjob. On the other hand, that makes me a lot more determined and thoughtful about my approach to a startup than a lot of the younger founders I've seen. I want to do this once. I don't want to have to do it again. And a final thought on this... after a discussion many months ago with another entrepreneur (doing a medical device), I thought long and hard about my motivation. And here it is, in a nutshell... creating a company and a product that makes a real dent in how big enterprise software projects are done is the biggest thing I can realistically imagine myself doing. I'm aiming for the highest target that I believe I can hit. Getting rich is, frankly, just a side effect of that. And pride will carry me when love is no longer enough.

wslh 13y ago
I am in the same boat (or beat?). Sadly I can't follow you "formally" on HN!