Sing and Dance while the Music is Played

It's not about achieving a goal, but enjoying the process

I noticed something odd several years into living in Silicon Valley and being around so many founders doing back breaking work. None of them had any plans with what they were going to do with all of this supposed money they were going to make. Furthermore, they were miserable.

I don’t recall when I first ran across it, but I heard a quote by Alan Watts that forever changed my perspective on how to life life, especially as a founder:

In music, one doesn’t make the end of the composition the point of the composition.

If that were so, the best conductors would be those who played fastest, and there would be composers who wrote only finales. People would go to concerts just to hear one crashing chord — because that’s the end!

We thought of life by analogy with a journey, with a pilgrimage, which had a serious purpose at the end, and the thing was to get to that end: success, or whatever it is, or maybe heaven after you’re dead.

But we missed the point the whole way along.

It was a musical thing — and you were supposed to sing, or dance, while the music was being played.

That quote changed my life and I fortunately heard it early on. I know all to many people who slave and toil, both regular workers and founders, trying to achieve…something, which they usually can’t define. I challenge people close enough to me to define what it is they are working 80 hour work weeks for. Many more times than not, they don’t have an answer. There is this universal concept that when you have access to capital, it wildly changes your life and you are suddenly happy.

It doesn’t. A number on a screen when you login to your bank changes one day. That’s it.

I’ve made a huge point of always and only working on things I greatly enjoy while I am putting ridiculous hours into them. I frequently couldn't care less if they succeed or fail. The fun part is trying, and taking pride in knowing I tried my best at something challenging and rewarding.

I’m not in a position where a large payday would not change my life so this is not coming from a place of total monetary comfort It’s coming from a deep understanding that ultimately happiness in life is determined by how safe, secure and content you feel. And it’s taken a long time, but I’ve learned to be very content with what I have. A friend recently told me about a list they had of “what I would get if I had infinite money.” The list was the usual. Huge house. Yacht. Jet. Cars. I don’t know why but none of those things save flying private (I cannot stand the state of flying) appeal to me. Okay, maybe a nice house when I have a family. But when I sat down and made my list, it was extremely short and included nothing lavish, save for a nice house in Weston, MA, which is already achievable.

The simpler you make your needs, the easier it is to achieve them, and the more content you will be.

Furthermore, learning to enjoy your work and to sing and dance while striving towards the end goal is another key to being happy as a founder. I turn down many more projects and opportunities than I accept. I recognize that’s a privileged position, but it’s also one that took 25 years of intense work to get to so I feel I’ve earned it. I don’t enjoy making money for money’s sake (while I understand many people do). To me, enjoying challenging and unique work is worth so much more than any capital returns from it.

So that’s my advice for the day. Find what makes you happy professionally, figure out how to make good money from it, and then enjoy it. Don’t focus on the rewards. Focus on enjoying putting effort in. It’s the best reward there is.

Have a great weekend.