There’s Still Time To Become Who You Were Meant To Be
Entrepreneurship is one way to get there
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“I’m alive! Holy shit, what a break.”
That’s my favorite line from my favorite Christmas movie, Scrooged. Uttered by Bill Murray’s Frank Cross when he realizes he still has a chance to change his ways, it’s the ultimate modern-day take on what that story, and the story it’s retelling, is about.
And whether you’re reading this over the holiday season and whether you celebrate Christmas or any holiday at all, those words have a hidden meaning. And it’s probably not what you think.
In the hundred or so startup advice posts I’ve written this year, my secret is that I’m not trying to advise you to start a company, or join a startup, or invent something world-changing. I just want you to understand that no matter what you do, where you do it, or who you do it for, you still have the time, the talent, and the resources to become exactly who you were meant to be.
Startup and entrepreneurism are just my ways of helping you get there.
Don’t let failure change your path
Yesterday, I got an email via my website from “Sam.” It went something like this:
“I’m in the midst of shutting down my failing first startup, after raising $1 million in venture capital and spending two years on it. I’m still young (25), but I’m trying to decide what to do next. Should I jump into my next idea? Should I work for a large tech company like Google? Should I work for a VC? Should I try to be a mentee for an early stage startup and learn from a founder who has had success? What would be the best way to move forward?”
Most of the time, I sit on the emails like this for at least a day or two to give them some thought (if I answer, I can’t possibly get to them all). But this time, I fired a response back immediately, which went exactly like this:
“This is gonna sound short but I totally mean it. Dude. You’re 25. Do whatever your heart tells you to do next.”
If I had thought about it a little more, I would have added something along the lines of:
