Don't be on your deathbed someday, having squandered your one chance at life, full of regret because you pursued little distractions instead of big dreams.
Derek SiversRead
I realized why I need to start a new company. Not for the money. Not because I'm 'bored'. But because a company is a laboratory to try your ideas.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of entrepreneurship as a means to explore and test new ideas, rather than simply for financial gain.
Derek Sivers highlights that the motivation behind starting a new company goes beyond monetary benefits or a desire to alleviate boredom. Instead, he views a company as an experimental space, a laboratory where one can bring ideas to life and innovate. This perspective encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to focus on creativity and personal growth through their ventures.
In practice
During a business seminar discussing innovation, I shared this quote to inspire budding entrepreneurs.
Don't be on your deathbed someday, having squandered your one chance at life, full of regret because you pursued little distractions instead of big dreams.
Everyone who became great at something has a similar story: For years, they worked on their craft every day, even if they weren’t in the mood. Always pushing, practicing, working, and improvingYes it takes thousands of hours of practice, but that’s good news! It’s a clear path and it’s under your control.
The business of feeding people is the most amazing business in the world.
If you want to occupy the C-suite or the top one-tenth of 1% in any organization, you have to be obsessively devoted to your career at the expense of everything else. And women look at that, and they think, 'No.'
The United States is the only country where a driver can have a successful career - either in stock cars or IndyCar - and he won't need a passport.
If you are honest with yourself and can look into a mirror and believe that you have given 100 percent, you should feel proud. If you cannot, then there is more work to be done.
Everybody in the minor leagues - if you're a player, an announcer, whatever - wants to be in the big leagues.
Sign your work...If you're not proud of it, don't ship it. If you are, sign your work and own the results. We'll know who to thank. If you work for a place where work goes unsigned (internally, in particular) it's worth asking why.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.