This surprises me: You do not however want the kind of determination implied by phrases like "don't give up on your dreams". I would put it diifferently. Don'

This surprises me: You do not however want the kind of determination implied by phrases like "don't give up on your dreams". I would put it diifferently. Don't give up on your dreams, but ask yourself which is more important to you: to have a successful high-growth startup, or to do something in particular? If there is a specific thing you want to do or build, then be prepared for the (likely) possibility that it won't make a good startup. It might make a great hobby or even a successful lifestyle business. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it -- it just means YC will not be able to help you. But maybe your dream is to have a fast-growing, high-impact startup, and it doesn't matter so much exactly what it is, as long as it's somewhere in the general area you're interested in. Then perhaps YC may want to get involved. You're still pursuing your dream, I would argue, it's just a different kind of dream from a particular project that someone else might want to do.