I was offered a $300k MTS role at a US lab. Safe money, stable path, respected work.
I turned it down to join YC S26 and build Graphify.
I have not looked back once.
https://t.co/GMEMuFWEPE
People can help you in many ways throughout life, but there are two things nobody can give you: curiosity and drive. They must be self-supplied.
If you are not interested and curious, all the information in the world can be at your fingertips, but it will be relatively useless. If you are not motivated and driven, whatever connections or opportunities are available to you will be rendered inert.
Now, you won't feel curious and driven about every area of life, and that's fine. But it really pays to find something that lights you up. This is one of the primary quests of life: to find the thing that ignites your curiosity and drive.
There are many recipes for success. There is no single way to win. But nearly all recipes include two ingredients: curiosity and drive.
Sex feels different when you never masturbate.
Getting drunk feels different when you have reasons to celebrate.
Spending money feels different when you’re rewarding yourself.
Cheat meal feels different when you keep a strict diet.
Earn your fun.
If you have to smell old age, go visit an old couple living in a house, with their kids settled in other parts of the world.
The house is a museum, the dressing table is older than their kids age. No matter what time of the day, it’s always afternoon in the house. Quiet. Parents trying to trick their grandkids into talking to them on WhatsApp video, giving up, then covertly asking their offspring when will she pay a visit. No pressure. “Office is hectic” they understand. They keep the phone aside & sleep off. The Panchang calendar on the wall still shows last month, no urgency to turn it over. It’s the silence of an empty nest, broken only by the second hand of the wall clock. Almost ticking towards inevitability.
After 8-10 crore, your own home and a nice car, there is not much difference in the quality of life between you and billionaire investors like RK Damani.
Time is the currency of life. Money is not.
Both of you have limited amount of time on earth; infact you may have twice or more time than RK Damani, so you are richer than him.
Dal roti is dal roti whether a billionaire eats or you do.
Become financially independent, which is around 8-10cr.
Have good food. Workout. Sleep well.
Meet your parents and friends.
That’s all there is to life.
Greed has no end.
Sooner you figure this out, happier you will be.
I spoke about this recently on a podcast and believe that this is inevitable.
People are shocked at the possibility of this outcome. In the last 200-odd years, we have been so conditioned to think of work as our dominant purpose that the concept of universal basic or high income without work sounds dystopian (and not utopian).
Humans were never meant to show up to work in the manner that billions are forced to every day.
We were meant to pursue interests, build things, connect with people, understand ourselves, and debate aimlessly.
What is classified as unproductive today was how the average person grew intellectually, morally, and spiritually a few centuries back.
A quick and easy tip for building habits that last:
Pick a standard time and place to do it.
It’s easier to wake up knowing “I exercise at 4 pm” than to decide each time when to fit a habit into your day.
If it’s already decided, all you need to do is show up.
The Atomic Habits Workbook is available now!
Featuring a guided experience for implementing the Atomic Habits methodology in your life. The workbook will walk you through how to build good habits and break bad ones.
Learn more and grab a copy here:
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