All we are is magnificent dust in the wind

I was reminded of the transient nature of existence over the last couple of days, while attending a funeral for a family member (Michelle’s Aunt Jenny). It gave me pause to question my planning, habits, and long term life strategy.

For the most part I assume with high confidence that I’ll live for 30-40 more years (and that my life partner will survive me). Conditioned on that, a great amount of my energy goes into building something for potentially the far out future. I dedicate my finest moments to communicating, learning and executing with respect to Victus Spiritus, Victus Media, and other interests. There’s no backup plan, I’ve burned the psychological bridge behind my trail forward. I believe there are only a handful of life defining decisions. The rest of our choices are just noise about some trajectory (we shouldn’t get too hung up on the nuances of every choice, any viable option works). With that thinking, leaning too heavily on past decisions becomes fraught with false assumptions of causation (sunk costs). It’s better we focus on the present and prospective future.

Although friends have cautioned me (thanks David Semeria) against a full commitment, the choice to build a business with real impact and social value was set before I began. The choice I make is to delay immediate gratification, expensive trips and luxuries, to leave open the possibility for enjoying them later. The trade-off is to sacrifice immediate income and free time, for the chance at building something of long-term value.

What if today was my last

Would it discount any decisions I make with respect to nurturing a business that may have only a slim chance of success over the next 5-10years? The driving force behind founding a startup is to magnify my influence on the present and future, and chart my own course into the raw unknown. I embrace the future more now than any time before this. The world is better served by my leadership, daring, and heart than by my passivity. After a good deal of introspection, I find my motivations true, and my resolve is steeled. I sincerely hope you find a similar resolution, it’s one of the driving forces behind my continued writing.

Look in, to project the fire of your life outward. There’s no time to lose

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  • http://steamcatapult.com/ Dave Pinsen

    This may lighten the mood a little: your post brought to mind that old SNL skit where a man (Bill Murray?) is told by his doctor that he had 5 minutes to live. Instead of getting depressed, he tells the doctor that he will make those 5 minutes count, and live his life to its fullest. He's full of a sense of resolve when he steps into the elevator, but then a kid gets on and hits all the buttons.

  • http://steamcatapult.com/ Dave Pinsen

    BTW, off to put your prize in the mail now, after I wire some money to a vendor in Thailand. You're getting a couple of extras with your prize.

  • http://www.victusspiritus.com/ Mark Essel

    Righteous!
    Did you get an email from me about startup interviews? Hoping to cover a gambit of interesting startups and businesses over the next few weeks/months.

  • http://steamcatapult.com/ Dave Pinsen

    Exciting stuff!

  • woodyh

    @Dave Pinsen…lol at that skit!

    @Mark Essel – You have some good points here, I see myself on a similar parallel, certainly to be self determined seems to suit some people, regardless truely of the end – the journey is the longest, most important part.

  • http://www.victusspiritus.com/ Mark Essel

    Thanks Woody. I find blogging to be cathartic, and a wonderful memory enhancer as well as the ultimate social web filter. I've bumped into some great bloggers and readers just by sharing my thoughts. The best part is getting diverse views and feedback on my “imagination silo”.