I know I haven’t written in some time so let’s start with a recap.
At the end of September, I left my job at a startup in NYC to explore new ideas. Luckily, it was on good terms and I’m excited about where the team’s headed.
After leaving, I moved out of my NYC apartment and in with my parents to figure out what’s next. From September to December I spent time wandering. I traveled a bit, met interesting people, and tested ideas that could turn into companies.
At the end of December, I was debating whether or not to fundraise for an idea that had potential. After several conversations and reflection, I decided against it.
I felt defeated. It’s as if I gave up before starting.
Though, it wasn’t a ‘failure.’ Failure is mostly a story people tell themselves.
The process of starting something (anything) is much messier than most people think and often takes longer than expected. For example, how long did it take you to go to the gym consistently? Did you get in shape? How long did it last?
A lesson I’ve learned recently is to go slow before going fast. It applies to learning new skills, building relationships, starting businesses, and other aspects of life.
Spend more time figuring out why and what upfront and the how will figure itself out.
A good question to keep in mind is how do I avoid minimize avoidable failures?
An example of avoiding a minimizable failure is not touching the stove when it’s hot because you know it will burn you. Applied to life, it’s thinking about the second and third order consequences of the decisions you make.
More questions to think about: Where do I want to be 5 years from now? What are the actions I need to take today to get there? Although the details will be messy and the path non-linear, it’s important to have a vision that’s worth working towards. Most people intuitively know this but few overcome fear to act on it.
As for me, I’m enjoying my time in the Bay Area. It’s definitely started to feel like home. I can’t share much about what I’m doing right now but will soon.
If you find yourself in SF, let me know!
