I had a wonderful conversation with one of our fellow Heretics yesterday who asked me why I think people like Mark Zuckerberg don’t just retire (they surely are rich enough to not worry about money ever again) and instead still work insane hours on their respective startups.
For me the answer is simple: Because they love what they are doing. Because they couldn’t imagine a day not doing what they love most. Because a “vacation” wouldn’t feel like a vacation to them as it would take them away from what they love doing.
In my world doing a startup is not about a goal. It’s not about the big cheque at the end of the day. It’s not about the exit but the journey. And in that way startups are an analogy for life.
To express this in the words of the philosopher Alan Watts:
“We thought of life by analogy with a journey, a pilgrimage, which had a serious purpose at the end, and the thing was to get to that end, success or whatever it is, maybe heaven after you’re dead. But we missed the point the whole way along. It was a musical thing and you were supposed to sing or to dance while the music was being played.”
Find something you love doing and enjoy the dance.