jstrauss
Almost exactly 10 years ago, I threw myself off the cliff of starting a company. I did it because: a) of where Ian helped me realize I was on the risk/experience curve (i.e., more risk tolerant than inexperienced); and b) I was optimizing for minimal regret . In other words, I was very privileged to have had a lot more to gain than I had to lose.
10 years later, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have gained a lot–though not necessarily what I set out to. Most importantly, I now have an incredible wife and 2 amazing healthy kids. Gratitude has become central to my worldview, but being truly grateful also means acknowledging what you have to lose.
I used to never question that every new day could be better than the last if I made it so. But I’m now grappling with the reality that time doesn’t just give indefinitely. At some point, it starts to take too. Yes, some things will hopefully continue to get better: every day our kids get older brings new joys; and I’m excited for what lies ahead in my career. But I’ve also reached the point where my obliviousness to mortality is being steadily chipped away: the older family members or friends’ parents or ev
jstrauss