This is almost exactly how I work[0]. I’ve been doing hard things, all my life.
It gets annoying to encounter the inevitable “If you do so well, how come you’re not rich or famous?” retort; which assumes that money and fame are the only metrics that count.
The simple answer is that I’ve never wanted to be rich; at least, not wanted it enough to put in the type of work it would take, to get there. I also see absolutely no value at all, in fame; other than as an avenue towards being rich (see “I don’t really want to be rich, badly enough to deal with the agita,” above).
I could certainly have helped others get rich, but people that want to be rich, have had such a difficult time, respecting my approach, that it has never worked out. Instead, I always end up working with organizations and people, to whom money is not a principal metric.
Oh, absolutely. Especially in this crowd. There’s a ton of folks that are convinced that the only measure of success is money and/or fame. American culture, especially amongst entrepreneurial types, has reinforced this.
I’m often accused of “sour grapes,” and “I’m just jealous.”
Makes for a fun conversation.
And yes, it is dumb.
Look at the various posts, here. Whenever someone talks about their company being a "success," they always mention valuations, investments, brand recognition, etc. Open-sourcerers always talk about how many stars their repos have, etc.
Schlubs like me are not really invited to too many VIP tents at Burning Man...
For what it's worth, I'm definitely in the "want to get rich" camp, but I've seen enough hard work and good stuff from people which has nonetheless managed to not enrich them (either because the purpose was not that or because of just how the market operated).
It gets annoying to encounter the inevitable “If you do so well, how come you’re not rich or famous?” retort; which assumes that money and fame are the only metrics that count.
The simple answer is that I’ve never wanted to be rich; at least, not wanted it enough to put in the type of work it would take, to get there. I also see absolutely no value at all, in fame; other than as an avenue towards being rich (see “I don’t really want to be rich, badly enough to deal with the agita,” above).
I could certainly have helped others get rich, but people that want to be rich, have had such a difficult time, respecting my approach, that it has never worked out. Instead, I always end up working with organizations and people, to whom money is not a principal metric.
[0] https://littlegreenviper.com/miscellany/thats-not-what-ships...