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I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.

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Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.

#21

Post by prawks »

untog wrote: post #17

I don't like judging people based on their age. It seems like a really blunt instrument that unfairly groups people together who do not belong there. But as someone who is only just pushing 30, I can say that you are talking the same kind of nonsense I did in my early 20s. "To all of the people who say that the best thing to do is get a good job, buy a nice house, and to put the max into a 401k that the company will…

To back up your point, in what world is having a good job, nice house, and large retirement savings "mediocre"?

Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.

#22

Post by niuzeta »

You seem to be romanticizing a little too much to be realistic, yet you seem to be realistic enough to assess the current situation.

My advice is to lower your expectation a little. A mediocrity is better than a total failure. Consider achieving mediocrity the failure, which you would be willing to take before aiming for the big thing, again. Try living homeless for a week, and you'll know.

We're young and sometimes the balance between the ideal and the real can be stammering to hold.

Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.

#25

Post by surfmike »

orionblastar wrote: post #7

Never give up, don't end your life. Failure is a part of life, we humans learn from our mistakes. If you ever read "Dune" or watched the movie "Fear is the mind killer." and it makes a lot of sense that statement. I am 45, and I am having a hard time. I am flat broke, disabled, and 100K in medical debt. No startups want to hire me, nobody wants to help me, and I did a great job when I was working and did two startups…

"No startups want to hire me, nobody wants to help me" --> why does your profile then say "I am not looking for work, or joining a startup" ?

Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.

#26

Post by itsallbs »

I remember when I was this dramatic. I have no doubt that the emotions he experiences are very real, but he has no frame of reference to see all this for what it is: not really a big deal. If he fails, it sounds like he has a safety net and support to get on his feet and try again. There's no shame in being "mediocre" and having a 9-5 as long as he doesn't get complacent and lose his drive.

Any decent entrepreneur, however, is not going to lose that drive and desire. I know I haven't, and I've yet to achieve what this kid has. Even if he fails, he tried. He'll learn a ton and will be better-equipped for the next go-round.

Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.

#27

Post by oinksoft »

visakanv wrote: post #12

I relate to you a lot, so if I'm harsh towards you I'm really just being harsh to myself. You're not really saying anything. You're describing your emotional state, but that's it. You say you're afraid, but you're not actually getting to the root of your fear. Sure, you don't want mediocrity. Who does, anyway? (Rhetorical question.) Is this just a pep-talk? If so, all the best to you, live long and prosper, focus, wo…

Getting married, particularly when you're the primary earner, does an awful lot for your perspective. You can't be so cavalier as the author when somebody depends on you to put food on the table, and that's usually a good thing (especially in terms of relating to the rest of the world that is wrapped up in family life).

Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.

#28

Post by edw519 »

Being an "Entrepreneur" is about one thing only: solving others' problems. Everything else is window dressing or worse, diversions.

This rant includes all kinds of stuff about "me", "my life", "my philosphies", "my problems", "my future", "my", "my", "my"...

Where's mention of others, their problems, and the solutions?

OP may call himself "An Entrepreneur", but supplies no data to support that claim. Sadly, an all-too-often recurring theme these days.

Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.

#29

Post by untog »

prawks wrote: post #21
untog wrote: post #17

I don't like judging people based on their age. It seems like a really blunt instrument that unfairly groups people together who do not belong there. But as someone who is only just pushing 30, I can say that you are talking the same kind of nonsense I did in my early 20s. "To all of the people who say that the best thing to do is get a good job, buy a nice house, and to put the max into a 401k that the company will…

To back up your point, in what world is having a good job, nice house, and large retirement savings "mediocre"?

Quite. The startup world can be very dangerous that way- when your definition of success is "being Mark Zuckerberg" then being anything less than a millionaire is "mediocre".

Your startup is statistically all but guaranteed to fail. Your life will be "mediocre" yet it will continue to be the kind of life that millions of people aspire to and are unable to reach. When looked at objectively, your life will be "pretty damn nice", no matter how much inner turmoil you feel about it.

Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.

#30

Post by agibsonccc »

Taking a job temporarily isn't the end of the world. Everyone needs an income of some kind. The only key to this is persistence. If you want it bad enough "giving in" won't affect you. It's taken me a few years to figure out what I want to do all while learning what a business is, how sales work, and everything else that's involved. Do it for the journey, not the end result. There's nothing romantic about it. Independence comes at a cost: risk. Look at what you're doing objectively and you'll do fine. No matter how invincible you might feel in your 20's, failure is going to happen anyways. It's how you roll with the punches that will determine whether you come out on top or not. In the end everyone's goals are different. Many people are happy with getting a job somewhere. The rough and ramen lifestyle isn't for everyone. Many people just want to have a family, and frankly there's nothing wrong with it.

Source: I'm 23 too, but I don't pretend to be awesome. I'm just a stubborn kid looking to achieve something and getting by however necessary.

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