What Building Feels Like

Sometime around circa 2013, this online place called Medium, people had only picked up the culture of ‘quit your job and travel the world’ or ‘quit and start your empire’ shit. It is 99% of that I swear.

We don’t need to dive any deeper into what kind of place Medium has evolved into today. But those times I spent reading narratives of other people really awoke me. I knew I enjoyed starting something since I was little, and with time, it grew in scales and numbers.

I had a fair part in a few fundraising rounds with my mentors across my college years. Becoming their proxy on a daily basis had exposed me to multiple never-before-seen scenes of entrepreneurship. Until one day you decided to test the learned theories on your own. Here, some tough truths if you’re in a position to start:

• You face the unexpectedly predictable sad times
• Not to exaggerate or shit, but what seems to be the worst isn’t near what you may have expected
• You’re in constant need of rescue
• Anyone you’re asking for a hand from is either too passive-aggressive or really not a fan of what you’re doing or could be anything, really
• The definition of so fucked isn’t depending on those sitting in upper floors deciding what happens to your career or to the company if the ship sinks in crisis
• Your bad days aren’t only about getting yelled at, or getting into a heated argument with coworkers, or failing to close a client
• nobody could back you up when shit hits fan for real there isn’t anyone from the upper floor coming to get u it’s your ass who gets fucked
• It’s like trying to finish a marathon but you’re riding a Mario Kart, driving in circles, gets thrown a bunch of explosives
• Thick skin over everything, the willingness to do all of the uncomfortable is the currency that keeps your ship afloat
• 95% you are shaken with the risks you are taking
• the stakes are always getting bigger
• you can’t just pull the plug, walk away free, just because you are tired
• you’re in broke mode, until….further notice, thus up your hustle game
• Nobody promised you shit, so don’t lash out when things go sour, which they always do
• As counterintuitive as it sounds, waiting for miracles is part of the job
• all in all, trying out your luck like life is an endless lottery
• Try, try, and try a million times until it works
• when it doesn’t, have contingency plans to exit.

Keep up the pep talk, here’s mine I’ve used over the years, to date:

It is to live my life the fucking best I can. It can be horribly difficult, even on the better days, but that’s just what I’m built for. Just gotta focus only on the goodness of my work, correct my imperfections as I go along and grow.

Here’s to the ones who don’t back down.