Thats the real question, how much have you sacrificed and how much are you willing to sacrifice?
10 years of my life, grinding every day with just one mission. I feel 10 to 12 years is everyone’s make or break period if you are in a speculative industry like trying to build a hyper growth startup.
Nothing. The idea of sacrificing everything to build a business is extremely dated and unrealistic; it is rooted deep into hustle culture and toxic productivity. Beyond a certain point, work becomes ineffective. Taking breaks, recharging with hobbies, indulging in relationships, and focusing on yourself are 100% some of the best ROI decisions you could possibly make in building your business.
I am willing to sacrifice nothing, and have sacrificed nothing (other than some money). There is no point to success if you had to lose everything to gain it, and there is no point to life if you don’t live it.
Thank you for saying that. I needed to hear it. 🙏
Yeah but are you rich?
100%! Thankfully (some of) the world is moving back from toxic hustle culture and towards anti-hustle. Remember why you got into business in the first place. Was it to work more, make less, and take on all the risk? Or was it to gain back freedom? Not just “financial freedom”, but freedom of time and choice?
Starting a business is path to experiencing the extremes of emotions–the extreme negative ones are a sacrifice, but the extreme positive ones are a gift. You take time from leisure activities, but if you enjoy and believe in what you are doing, that time can be a net win. You lose some friends, but you gain others. You lose money along the way, and you make money.
If you are going to start a business, look at the balance in sacrifices and rewards, and the form your life takes along the way.
Man i have literally sacrificed every want of mine to save money for my futuer and now i only spend when i go out with my friends ones or twice month Now i dont even feel like sacrifice something to save money i just started to love saving money
Im a loner so i don’t think i missed out on much but since feb 2019 upto aug 2023 working on my app was my life. I wouldn’t travel with family, go out with the small number of friends i got.
Was it worth it? YES
Almost went broke 2x. Use to be afraid of failing, now small doses of it are a like hack.
Calm. Kindness, kinship. Love. I’ve given up all chance at inner peace, I’ve made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there’s only one conclusion: I’m damned for what I do. My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight, they’ve set me on a path from which there is no escape. I yearned to be a savior against injustice without contemplating the cost, and by the time I looked down, there was no longer any ground beneath my feet. What is… what is my sacrifice? I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life, to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see. No, the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror, or an audience, or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? Everything.
Back then when I was living in Azor, I saw an interview with Chamath.
Don’t remember the exact words, he said how they took out a promising young man’s career.
First I was sacrificed without knowing.
Than I sacrificed knowingly.
Do the math yourselves.
Honestly a lot - I gave up a close relationship with my family, gave up a social life and gave up compassion and emotions.
I’m obsessed with the game and am willing to give up however much it takes to be the best.
ALOT
My early and mid 20s.
$3000 redesigning circular dustbins only to realise that no one wants to touch a dustbin even if it seals your trash
My mind
200k, my relationship, the last 5 years of my life, and worst: my health.
now I’m 35 with nothing left a broken body and broken motivation 😞
