Comment by rjh29
2 years ago
I guess that's because you were specifically aiming for success (app usage / income) rather than for the primary reasons of enjoyment or learning?
Would you recommend that people don't take up a year+ long project unless they are sure they won't regret it even if nobody uses it?
I would say if you are building something with the aim to make it a business, make it a business already.
If you're building "for fun" go ahead, with the 100% conviction that you don't need/want it to make money.
Your statement contains a lot of nuance that would have to be unpacked which at this moment I don't have time for, but I would say...
For starters, nothing I ever do is JUST for "enjoyment" or "learning", explicitly, by itself, as some kind of standalone pursuit.
Everything I do has to have some kind of meaning behind it, even if the meaning is small, such as "I wonder if I'm smart enough to do ___?"
So to answer your question, the projects I did were not for the primary reason of enjoyment and learning, but not because I was focused on some monetary end goal, and moreso because that's not how I approach anything in life.
In this particular example, I was working with my business partner, the end goal was monetary, but also was a sort of "magnum opus" style project that was insanely difficult (algorithm wise) as well as an extreme creative pursuit (of which I'm very creative). So my creative energy was what powered me, and my endless pursuit of problem solving puzzles and challenges also motivated me.
I loved every second of it, at the expense of my health, relationships, etc.
The gist of my message I think is for me, there is no other way. I have to have the perfect harmony of meaning + creativity + problem solving + a single person I "vibe" with very very well. If those ingredients are right, I can achieve focus and motivation levels that are just absurd. I mean literally from 5am to 9pm i coded without moving out of bed, including weekends. I gave up all fun, entertainment.
I notice other people are drawn to the pursuit of knowledge simply for the sake of learning, or knowledge acquisition. That's not me though, and if the only purpose is to just pursue information I could have never done that simply due to the massive amount of energy required (and I have done year long projects... maybe 6-7 times now. Luckily some of the other ones were really successful)
I would absolutely encourage anyone take up a year long project if they're able, simply because I don't think many people possess the certain configuration in their mind of how to motivate themselves to have that much energy. It almost doesn't feel like a choice (to me). I dont wake up and go "well I guess I should spend a year on this." It is a hyperfocusing deep powerful energy, like a calling or life purpose, where the only thing that makes sense is to do it. AND....... if a person has this, they should absolutely never ignore it.
So yes, I would say any person who has even a hint of a calling, absolutely do it, and not focus on outcome.