I met with a founder the other day.
I like exploring new ideas and new people. If there’s someone or something that I find interesting, I like to reach out to them to learn more. Our conversation was a natural extension of that sense of curiosity.
A founder’s life is grueling, emphasis on the gruel. There’s a lot of media circulating where people say things like “work hard,” “work all the time,” “work 24/7.” That mentality is backed up by people I know who are successful because they work all the time.
Even Bob Dylan worked all the time.
That’s kind of boring right?
There’s this trade off, of trying to do something successful, or stable, and being able to devote time to things you really love.
Add to that, the diversity of interest held within a single, human personality. It may be hard to know what you really love. Do you love the whole thing? Just parts of it? Just in certain situations? What are you willing to endure?
I asked the founder if he too worked 12–16 hour days. Yes, he did. He said he was passionate about his work. He had recently taken an interest in a specific industry. Throughout his life, he knew he loved solving puzzles. He also liked building products. His business stemmed from his interest in an industry, combined with his joy of building apps that solved problems.
According to him, he’d last about a month at most jobs he didn’t like. His supervisor would have a check-in meeting that would go something like this:
Supervisor: “So, it’s been a month since you started with us. I hope the coffee machine is treating you well. We’re really glad to have you here. How has your first month been for you?”
Founder to be: “Great, thanks for asking. I see that your team is looking at [problem X] in [way Y]. I looked at [information] and though because of [reasons] it should be done [way Z] instead.”
Supervisor: “Interesting point. We really enjoy solving [problem X] in [way Y]. Solving it in [way Z] doesn’t fit our business needs and might require that we restructure our department and approach.”
F2b: “Well, I guess I was interested in doing it in [way Z].
Supervisor: “We are more likely to continue using [way Y].
F2b: “It was nice working with your team. My difference in opinion in terms of approach may put us on opposite sides of the table. I appreciate the opportunity you’ve given me. It might make sense for us to part ways, and I can look at finding a business that I am in closer alignment with.
Supervisor: “Oh. Okay. Well, sure. We really appreciate your time as well. You can always feel free to let us know if you change your mind.”
I made all that up, but you know, it’s the spirit of the conversation that was important.
What I’m getting at here, is it’s easier to work hard on something you like, than something you don’t. It’s easier to figure out what you do like, by quitting the things that you don’t.
This is a difficult decision to make. In daily life, we are often tied to many fear or duty based decisions. We keep jobs because they are part of a safe career path, because they pay us a comfortable wage, because we are afraid of starting something new and failing.
It might still be a struggle, to change course, or to find something you love. But, I guarantee you it will be much easier to throw everything you’ve got at something that excites you.
I, for one, have started applying for jobs I want, instead of jobs I can get, and I take time out of my day to go on walks, exercise, and play guitar. Connecting to these passions gets me in touch with what passion feels like. It becomes much easier to find that same passion, when I’m looking for work. It becomes much easier to get in touch with things I’ve been avoiding because they are not “responsible.”
These emotional changes may not flood in immediately, so don’t worry if you can’t suddenly identify your passion after reading this. Just spend some time, every day, with something you want to do. Start noticing the times where you’re doing something you don’t want to do.
The rest will follow.
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