3 ms·

I have an issue with this quote from the article "If you sell your life's work, then what are you supposed to do?" As though you've somehow failed by succeedin

I have an issue with this quote from the article "If you sell your life's work, then what are you supposed to do?" As though you've somehow failed by succeeding. By finishing what you set out to do before actually dying. Want to know what success really looks like? Watch this video of Fred Pattachia retiring from professional surfing mid-season, mid-contest, mid-heat, after scoring a perfect 10 point ride and knowing that he'd accomplished everything he wanted from the sport. He just high fived the other guy in the water and caught a wave in to the beach with 10 minutes left in the heat (that he still technically won): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqzNpXcCJnc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqzNpXcCJnc For me, that's way more inspirational than what Jessica is talking about in the article. A guy in his 30s, recognizing that he just completed his "Life's Work", and deciding on the spot to move on to the next thing.

fsloth 9y ago
Any 'important' field is infinitely deep and never allows one to accomplish everything because no one knows what there is yet to achieve. A physicist does not quit just because they recieve a nobel price, for instance - "Ok, I've contributed all I wanted to contribute". The question is, is the chosen field 'incomplete' or 'complete'. If the entrepreneurs goals is just to cash a check then his chosen task can be completed. If it's 'bring X to market and let others finish it' likewise. On the other hand, if the business becomes the entrepeneurs baby and they just want to nurture it I'm not sure if that path is necessarily ever complete.
ryanx435 9y ago
> As though you've somehow failed by succeeding. By finishing what you set out to do before actually dying. this is actually a pretty common phenomenon: https://hbr.org/2012/02/the-catastrophe-of-success https://hbr.org/2012/02/the-catastrophe-of-success

fsloth 9y ago

Any 'important' field is infinitely deep and never allows one to accomplish everything because no one knows what there is yet to achieve. A physicist does not quit just because they recieve a nobel price, for instance - "Ok, I've contributed all I wanted to contribute". The question is, is the chosen field 'incomplete' or 'complete'. If the entrepreneurs goals is just to cash a check then his chosen task can be completed. If it's 'bring X to market and let others finish it' likewise. On the other hand, if the business becomes the entrepeneurs baby and they just want to nurture it I'm not sure if that path is necessarily ever complete.

ryanx435 9y ago

> As though you've somehow failed by succeeding. By finishing what you set out to do before actually dying. this is actually a pretty common phenomenon: https://hbr.org/2012/02/the-catastrophe-of-success https://hbr.org/2012/02/the-catastrophe-of-success