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RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

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Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#31
The story holds it's own, and doesn't really need the "Overnight Millionaire" click bait.

Also,

> He and a buddy from elementary school started RxBar in 2012... By the time RxBar became a business with revenues north of $100 million, with virtually no outside investment, Rahal was grinding at it from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m daily.

This is anything but "overnight". Reminds me of the "overnight success" quotes in many forms, but recently from Shopify founder.

> It took about 10 years' time for Shopify to be an overnight success. - Tobias Lutke

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#32
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is what makes ambitious people successful. They always want more and never stop wanting more. Those who are content with settling don't have the drive to make it.

I think HK Rowling is a solid counter to that argument. Success is far more about leverage than drive. Drive is still extremely useful, just not the root cause for success.

Two points perhaps worth considering:

1) Defining "success" as "made a ton of money" is reductive and probably not very useful

2) Many (most?) successful people are ambitious, but lots of ambitious people do not succeed, at least by their own standards

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#33

Actually getting the money itself in reality did happen overnight, but the setup took him years and thousands of hours of work and much blood sweat and tears. This isn't so much about what happens when you become rich quickly, as "What happens when you achieve your goal?"

apparently to this guy, it means once you achieve your goal you manually carry groceries, start intermittent fasting, and switching between first class and coach

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#34

These types of young people have no class, no style and no real dreams to follow - other than making money. Because someone makes money does not make then interesting to read about. This is a perfect example

You say that they have no class, no style, and no dreams, however you don't really have much to go off to make such definite generalized statements about a whole class of people.

Seems more like you created an emotional image about a group you don't like and this is the conclusion that would produce.

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#36

Actually getting the money itself in reality did happen overnight, but the setup took him years and thousands of hours of work and much blood sweat and tears. This isn't so much about what happens when you become rich quickly, as "What happens when you achieve your goal?"

Based on the title I was expecting something akin to winning the lottery. Working 15 hour days for years to build a successful company from the ground up and selling it isn't what I think of when I think "overnight millionaire."

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#38
Just means you are responsible for deploying more liquid capital into productive assets. Have fun finding those. If you are creative and a builder, the people who made you what you are were the ones who told you "no," and now there are a lot fewer of those once they think you have money.

Barring a few quality of life things and some freedom, the rest is just symbols and artifacts.

That bit about finding a woman who will love him for who he is inside and not for his money is silly. In case he hasn't noticed, who he is inside is also now richer than croesus as well.

Very simply, the money event was a huge recent peak experience that totally re-based his identity, and until he either recognizes it again as external, or accumulates newer more intense experiences to offset it, he's going to struggle with accepting it and finding a personal equilibrium again. If he wants a partner to validate that he is more than his money, he's starting from a dangerously flawed premise. If he takes responsibility for himself and his identity and doesn't outsource his self worth to a partner/family, he'll be fine.

Otherwise, he should just put up a dating profile that says, "millionaire seeks emotional hostage for codependent death spiral." I'm a fan of Epictetus on that one, who essentially rephrases it so that things are not yours, they are things you relate to. e.g. the family I have, support, love etc, instead of "my family." It's not "my money," because it's not essential to who he is, it's "the money I have."

I'd say if he's looking for someone to complete and validate his essential idea of himself "without the money," he doesn't have a sufficiently complete sense of self yet to share. He'll probably be cooler after 40.

Anyway, good luck to anyone who ends up in this situation. It's rare and a huge distraction from more basic human needs that might have still needed work before the event.

I like to think I would make a very good rich person, but mostly because it sounds like an interesting job.

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#39

Actually getting the money itself in reality did happen overnight, but the setup took him years and thousands of hours of work and much blood sweat and tears. This isn't so much about what happens when you become rich quickly, as "What happens when you achieve your goal?"

What I'm discovering in my own life is that goals are inherently unsatisfying. What's satisfying is living well, not in terms of a goalpost you've passed but in terms of an undulating way of existing in the world. Goals serve a purpose (heh), but they will never bring you happiness.

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#40
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is what makes ambitious people successful. They always want more and never stop wanting more. Those who are content with settling don't have the drive to make it.

I think HK Rowling is a solid counter to that argument. Success is far more about leverage than drive. Drive is still extremely useful, just not the root cause for success.

Writing novels while you're dirt poor and riding a train to your low paying job does not count as "drive"?

I would love to hear your definition of "drive" then.

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