[hagy]

If an aspiring musician were only motivated by the chance of making it big, I would definitely tell them to stop trying. Not because they’re pursuing an irrational goal, but because that’s not sufficient motivation to get through all the shit it takes to have a chance at making it big in music.

Similarly with startups, if someone is only motivated by a huge exit then they won’t last through the years of low-success and failure that precede building a moderately successful business. Individual who succeed in these careers get some satisfaction out of the process and the small successes along the way (e.g. performing before ten people in a bar or having one potential customer get excited about your new product).