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I'm 24 and I agree with you 100%. Entrepreneurship isn't a lifestyle I suggest to anyone, however, it is a great tool/means to fulfil something you want. Approaching it from the view of avoiding mediocrity is not only gonna put you in the difficult 'lifestyle' column, but it will also not be a very useful perspective for your entrepreneurial goals either. If you're really committed to living the entrepreneurial lifestyle, the best way to view it is as a journey to greatness: aspire to be with the best, not to avoid the 'average'. The former gives you hope and encouragement, while the latter is insulting to the those around you. If you're using entrepreneurship as a means to an end (like I am), it'll still be hard, but once you have that perspective it becomes easier to lay out a path for yourself regardless of the circumstances. I've been snuffed out of jobs by friends I helped hire, I've had relationships fall apart to the point of becoming suicidal, I have no medical insurance and have endured multiple visits to the ER, I've had my apartment robbed and then got promptly kicked out because new roommates decided to get overly rowdy while I was gone, I've been shot at in broad daylight, I've unintentionally contracted with shady characters that fled the country and left me empty handed with silly lawsuits and court dates that I had to go out of my way to forfeit, I've been identity thefted losing all my money just as rent was due along with some of those ER bills, I haven't had more than 4 figures in my bank account for about half a year, my credit cards are maxed, I've had most of my belongings locked up in a storage unit for over 2 years because of these fiascos, and I'm now back to living with my parents because I couldn't afford to continue living on my own after quitting a job at a startup that required an overly-long commute that took a toll on my health to the point where I developed muscle spasms and began getting panic-attacks in the middle of the workday. But you know what? It's all good. All that stuff might have been hell and made me nearly hysterical at points, but I know what my end goal is, and I know entrepreneurship is the only way I'll ever achieve it. If shit gets in my way, oh well, I'll just come up with a new plan to adjust for it (and I already have). I don't care about 'mediocrity', I just care that I achieve what I set out to do, because that's what makes me happy, and the only way I'll ever fail is if I give up pursuing it. |