Yesterday I made a decision that might have cost me millions of dollars.
I don’t say that lightly; I was offered the opportunity to work with renowned scientists on something that has already received millions in grant funding and is already protected by a patent. Nothing in the business world is ever a sure thing, but this concept certainly has legs, to say the least.
To be fair, I did consider it. For a couple months, actually. I learned bunch about the field and about entrepreneurship. And yesterday, I bowed out.
It’s tantalizing, sure. But the thing is, I’m not ready.
Since August (when I quit my job), I’ve been undergoing a process of introspection, self-discovery, and reflection. Slowly but surely, I got my mental health to the best place it’s been since middle school, and maybe earlier. As well as I’m doing, though, my gut is telling me I haven’t finished this process. I can’t rush things; I can’t assume that just because things got better they will stay better.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been experiencing this creeping feeling that I’ve committed to too much. Not too much in the sense that I can’t do it; I’m nowhere near that point right now. It’s more of a feeling that I can’t do it without also sacrificing the progress I’ve been making.
Lately, I’ve been feeling like I don’t have enough time, enough space to do all the non-work stuff that I want to be doing right now. That whole figuring my shit out stuff. It’s really important though, and I want to prioritize it.
So I had to make a decision. Do I join this team that’s at the start of something really cool and (potentially, with a lot of work) really big? Or do I keep working on myself?
I chose the latter.
No amount of money or worldly success is worth giving that up right now. Not when I’ve been doing so well.
Share this Post