When we reflect on our past experiences, we see things a lot more clearly than the times we were in them. We know for a fact that investing in Company A would've resulted in a 700% return over a single year (true story, for another time), or we simply regret not having developed stronger bonds or skills. As the saying goes, "Hindsight is always 20/20".
Just today my brother and I got into a discussion about Larry Page and Sergey Brin's decisions to step down from their positions at Alphabet. As we talked more, the tone became slightly negative and demoralizing, and the question "people are doing so many great things, why are we not one of them?" came up. Needless to say, as that question came up, I stood still thinking of an answer.
"We are doing something about it. We're taking every shot we can. A few months back you said you were quitting all these projects, but here you are with 4 more failures. One of these days we'll hit the mark."
That's the best I could muster in the heat of the moment, and while the answer doesn't fully encapsulate our journey, it made us realize one thing; we aren't quitters. We don't want to be 40 years down the road and look back with regrets of not trying, or not trying hard enough. I don't like regrets and thinking that "I would've certainly done Task A when I was 26"...
So, here's to giving it all for another year, and for many after. Here's to the future and to 2020.
