This can be pretty powerful motivation. I left law school a couple years ago, and the decision was pretty universally viewed as 'stupid'.<p>Proving that label wrong really motivated me for the first year. I accomplished more than I ever have.<p>I sometimes wish I still had that urgency, but on the other hand, my life is more balanced now.<p>My challenge now is finding a way to be as productive as I was then, but without letting work be everything in my life.
I would be careful.<p>I don't recommend continuing a startup when the primary motivation is to show up others who didn't believe in you. You should be working on your idea because you believe it will be successful and ultimately help people.<p>A day may come... it might take a few months it might take a few years. When you realize that your startup has very little chance of success but you think "I can't quit... If I do then those who didn't believe in me won!"... I think generally that's not a good idea.<p>Yes, there have been countless success stories... "When I was 12 my teacher said I wouldn't amount to anything!" And while yes that motivation can (rarely) drive a company to success, it can more often than not lead to misery.<p>YMMV
Without commenting on your product I'd like to be frank about why this mentality can be unhealthy.<p>Motivation is great, but sometimes the fuel that motivates you isn't always healthy. The way that your article reads comes off as having a point to prove <i>because</i> you were rejected.<p>Analyze the psychology of that for a second. You're indirectly implying that you will make decisions because of rejection. Your problem solving and decision making will now gravitate towards whatever bias that "chip on your shoulder" created.<p>This may seem obvious, and you may be thinking you're impervious to such a fallacy, but let me point out a few warning signs in your article.<p>1) "... Investors look for it since it’s an indicator of persistance. When you’ve got something to prove, you’re more likely to blast your way to success. But how do you actually get this fire?"<p>Do investors really look for this? These statements come off like a confirmation bias.<p>2) "And with a chip on my shoulder, I find myself more focused, thinking more clearly and getting stuff done."<p>Can you quantify why?<p>I've been in analogous situations a few times in my past and observed it in many colleagues. I've rarely seen healthy work come out of it.<p>In summary, while there is room for personal bias and creative preference when building a startup, you shouldn't take your motivational fuel lightly. It's really easy to let the ego get in the way of doing what's right for your company.