Years ago, I met an entrepreneur at an event and we started off by saying the usual stuff about our ventures - the good, some challenges, ideas for the future, etc... And then he said something strange.
"Hey, man. I know we're saying all good things, but do you ever feel like quitting it all? Just waking up and.. Not doing all this?"
I was stunned! Nobody talks like that at such events. But then a sense of relief took over and we both started talking about our struggles, missteps, fears and plans. In a few minutes, we had gone from exchanging fake smiles to discussing deeply personal perspectives on "making it" and "fucking up". By the end of it, we just agreed on how we both wanted to keep getting better.
Going to such events used to be a part of my job, but nothing like this had ever happened. It was strange, to say the least.
We all deal with challenges and the easiest way out is to quit. Simply put, quitting is easy and makes immediate sense. Temptations are strong and the right way is obviously hard. But just like a child who should resist watching dumb TV in order to finish homework, we must also resist the temptations. Easy options are rarely the better ones. Even for us.
As Ray Dalio puts it, the only discernable purpose of life is to deal with challenges and improve. When you change for better, people around you get inspired and the effect keeps spreading infinitely. That's your tiny contribution in the giant universe. It's not all that meaningless, is it?
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