I never can decide if it's hilarious or sad when 18 year olds proclaim that a life of children + mortgage + work isn't a life of "magic and love". If you're having a boring life with kids around, you're doing it wrong. Sure, people manage it, but don't be like that.<p>Having a house to do things in and a family to do them with/for has helped breed more creativity and magic in my life than I ever had before when I lived by myself with nothing tying me down.
This should be way more common: "What I want is personal freedom to do what I want to do.<p>I live on on a $20,000/year salary because I can choose when and where I work. I can take the morning off and work late. I can work in the morning and take the evening off. I can travel for months at a time while working on my startup—like I did on a three month trip through Europe a few years ago, and planning to again this fall."
I have 3 children + mortgage + I plan to work the rest of my life until I die (I find meaning in my work as well as my kids.)<p>I'm an entrepreneur so I can look anyone who is being an asshole in the face, and tell them to go fuck themselves.
<i>"Startup life is hard."</i><p>I imagine that depends on who you are and what motivates you. For me, I found the opposite. Physically it's absolutely no harder than any other low-paid, long-hours job. Mentally it's very taxing but only because it's (usually) hugely creative - it's no harder than working in a salaried role where there's an expectation that you'll be creative all day. There's an element of difficulty beyond a normal job that comes from the level of independence - you <i>can't</i> slack off because things just won't get done - but that's not very different to having a difficult boss. Essentially you become your own difficult boss. And you always have the awesome incentives that both the short- and long-term rewards are potentially <i>much</i> better (freedom, interesting work, perhaps a huge payday at the end).<p>I've done career jobs and I've done startups. Startups were easier for me.
This is inspiring to me. I've run one reasonably successful business, and two the flopped hard. In between that, I've worked various full time and part time development (and sales, when I want to do something different) jobs.<p>I've recently found myself at somewhat of a crossroads. I have an idea that I think is going to be able to make decent money. Not FU money, but more than enough to live the way I want.<p>But I've been looking at going back to full time work for someone else... And I'm unsure on where I should go. I have time, I'm only 23, and I can get away with mistakes (I live in a country with an excellent safety net, and a pretty okay family -- they would prefer I get a "real" job though).<p>Glad to see someone out there is living my ideal life though :) maybe I'll spend tomorrow crunching some numbers to see how feasible it is.
Complete aside: The slow fade from fluorescent green to black and back on the "Read This Next" headline at the bottom of the page triggered some kind of disturbance/disruption between my eyes and my brain.<p>I thought maybe a blood vessel had burst inside my head and my vision was about to go.
For me, what's important in life is that you are happy in what you are doing, being contented and grateful for all you currently have and being appreciative even for life's failures, trials and experiences.. Keep it up and enjoy life more!
"I live on on a $20,000/year salary"<p>"I can travel for months at a time while working on my startup—like I did on a three month trip through Europe"<p>Honestly curious how she manages to do this financially ?