jglmn

Turns out even AI can play Wonderwall

Truth is, trying hard is a necessary, not sufficient, condition to make it. So many products are good in theory, but derivative. Built with the express aim of becoming a startup zillionaire.

This does not work.

So called "rich kids" don't win because they have some kind of magic "safety net" (there are tons of rich kids who bounce around those safety nets their entire lives with nothing to show for it).

No, startup founders from every class, color and creed win because getting or growing wealth and status has very little to do with their reasons for founding.

In other words, they don't set out to "become a founder/entrepreneur". They set out to create something the world really truly needs. Something they couldn't find anywhere else.

Sounds like you started with a certain end in mind – become a founder. In a perverse way, this ruled you out from the get go. Your compass was calibrated to false north.

I'm saddened to hear about your struggles, and support your choice to devote time to healing. However, if/when you do decide to jump back in the game, I hope you bear this advice in mind.

ADHD itself didn't give me superpowers

But going undiagnosed, it did force me to cope in creative ways.

I'd zone out in class and forget about tests. Only to inhale all the info in the dopamine-induced panic of the night before.

Long, wordy explanations bored me to tears. Which gave me deep sensitivity when explaining things to others.

And to keep myself sane during endless school days, I'd bend over backwards to try and "real-time edit" topics to be more interesting.

Finally, in my senior year of high-school, I read a blog post summarizing the classic ADHD memoir "Driven to Distraction". For the first time ever, I asked my parents to take me to a doctor. I was diagnosed basically on the spot.

The change was immediate. I went from serial coaster to rampant bookworm. Within a month, I tracked up in all my classes. I finished out high school with a bang (though it didn't matter much to college admissions).

There's always been a slight pang wondering what might have been had I read that blog post sooner. I certainly had the scholastic chops to excel, and could've landed at a much "better" school (and maybe even a "better" career).

But then I remember the blessing in disguise my alma mater, Queens College actually was. Few students cared to take advantage of the (surprisingly) excellent faculty, so I had their undivided attention. Also, the relatively lax workload gave me the space to split my time between class and internships.

And then I think about the weird, rewarding professional path those internships led me down. Where I inhale large amounts of information quickly. Find the shortest, sweetest way to explain it. And "real-time edit" the subject to make it as interesting as possible.

These aren't super-powers. These were talents I was forced to discover and lean on to cope with those that I lacked.

great show

Normally when a 2 inch piece of lead changes history, it's a bullet.

There's a difference between putting on a show, and genuinely being into whatever it is you're doing. What you're responding to is the former. What I'm suggesting is the latter.

I'd flip the script. Start willing yourself to be super positive, interested and committed, and no matter what you'll get much better. More than that, you'll become better liked in the eyes of people who write the checks, and overall be considered more indispensable. That will parlay into additional opportunities, responsibilities and eventually pay. After that, leverage to either negotiate pay, or attract interest from other places.

This is a move you can pull from almost any position. No need to score a stock windfall (though sorry to hear about your dramatic rise and fall)

What's the TLDR?

Kosher or table?