In life you have to find your own rules, values, and rewards. I find letting anyone dictate that for you will make you miserable. Most successful startups aren't done to be the next big millionaire, but b/c they felt compelled to create something awesome.
25Y Male making over $250K+ annually. Still stuck. Help?
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Re: 25Y Male making over $250K+ annually. Still stuck. Help?
#32Honestly, have him read "Walden" by Thoreau. Here are a few of my Kindle highlights.
"I was more independent than any farmer in Concord, for I was not anchored to a house or farm, but could follow the bent of my genius, which is a very crooked one, every moment."
"This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of it reminds me of the Englishman who went to India to make a fortune first, in order that he might return to England and live the life of a poet. He should have gone up garret at once."
"Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by them."
"I sometimes wonder that we can be so frivolous, I may almost say, as to attend to the gross but somewhat foreign form of servitude called Negro Slavery, there are so many keen and subtle masters that enslave both North and South."
Re: 25Y Male making over $250K+ annually. Still stuck. Help?
#33When you earn a decent wage, most people assume you're set for life, however you're not. In fact, it can cause problems that most people can't perceive. Firstly, you tend to live within your salary terms: you get a nice home, you spend a little more on the luxuries of life and you find each month that you don't have quite as much left over as you would expect. You don't need to be showy for this to happen. I know peo…
Paul,
I think this is where he fits in. When him and his wife were making only 40K combined, they carpooled to work, lived in a 700sqft apartment, barely went out, etc. Now that they got some money, they bought a decent house ($250K), 2 cars, and they started paying off loans etc. He said even though they make $250K, his monthly expenses are over $7-8K. His whole thing is that he wants to be "financially free". I think his business ideas all are focused on MAKING MONEY, hence why he keeps failing.
Re: 25Y Male making over $250K+ annually. Still stuck. Help?
#34Just let him know that I'm nearly twice his age, make half as much, fail at startup ideas and feel stuck, as well. That should make him happier.
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Re: 25Y Male making over $250K+ annually. Still stuck. Help?
#35He doesn't understand how to be happy or satisfied. He needs a therapist. I think most people do, they underestimate the value of having an independent sounding board to help work through these kinds of feelings. His expectations are either unrealistic, or he's surrounded by people who are always doing better, despite him doing well, which makes him seem like a failure. He has the luxury of those feelings. Silicon Va…
I agree. To quote Alan Watts from his book "The Book":
"Money alone cannot buy pleasure, though it can help. For enjoyment is an art and a skill for which we have little talent or energy."
Re: 25Y Male making over $250K+ annually. Still stuck. Help?
#36Just wait until the newborn gets a little older. I have two kids under 3 and found a renewed sense of purpose as they've gotten past the newborn stage. My priorities have also shifted away from career and startup success to family. Perhaps it will be the same for him.
Re: 25Y Male making over $250K+ annually. Still stuck. Help?
#37He doesn't understand how to be happy or satisfied. He needs a therapist. I think most people do, they underestimate the value of having an independent sounding board to help work through these kinds of feelings. His expectations are either unrealistic, or he's surrounded by people who are always doing better, despite him doing well, which makes him seem like a failure. He has the luxury of those feelings. Silicon Va…
As an alternative to therapy, he could also take up yoga/meditation. Bonus: it can be done for free.
Re: 25Y Male making over $250K+ annually. Still stuck. Help?
#38After figuring out what would fulfill him, he should consider starting his own venture doing exactly that. A venture is my material representation of freedom, his may differ -- the take away is that freedom is what enables you to get unstuck. I used to be in a similar position, making good money as a tech exec and feeling stuck. The freedom to impact the world, in my chosen fashion, was the cure and my only regret wa…
Man, I guess it's not just him....I didn't realize so many fairly "rich" people struggle with this!
Re: 25Y Male making over $250K+ annually. Still stuck. Help?
#39What kind of job pays a 25 year old 160k with flexible hours? Genuinely curious.
Many intermediate-senior level dev jobs at AAA-level shops (see: Google, Facebook, etc), as well as many startups. I know people in this range (and above) in both the Bay Area and NYC.
Yes but at 25? That's 4 years of experience out of college. I'm in my second year working in technology for a large i-bank and I'm barely breaching 100k :(
Re: 25Y Male making over $250K+ annually. Still stuck. Help?
#40Your friend (and wife) needs adventure not success.