Startups are riddled with momentous, dream-crushing risk. It’s inescapable. It’s the unfathomable risk that forces you to commit and put everything on the line when you start a business. Despite all of this, there’s one risk that’s in a league of its own—that you let the years of your life slip away and spend your time not doing what you love. Your working life is roughly 15,000 days long. The average entrepreneur is 37 years old, which means there are roughly 10,000 days of “work life” left. Most of your waking hours are spent not with your family, but at work. The hours you spend working are meaningful, yet most people slog away the best years of their lives at jobs that don’t give them meaning. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, defy convention and seize the day. They find something that inspires them and gives their lives meaning. While there’s a minefield of risks and pitfalls in front of them, they never have to worry about the most important risk in life. Whether you’re new to the startup game or a long-time veteran, congratulations for chasing your dreams and doing what you love.
