Doing something I enjoy, which is useful for other people—that gives me satisfaction.30
I didn’t aspire to create companies as a kid. I just liked computers. Don’t start a company because you want to be an entrepreneur or because you want to make money. It is better to approach from this angle: What is a useful thing you could build that you wish existed in the world?31
I do not start companies from the standpoint of asking, “What’s the best risk-adjusted rate of return?” or what I think could be successful. I just find things that need to happen, and try to make them happen. I thought these things needed to get done. If the money was lost, okay. It was still worth trying.32
Try to find an overlap of your talents and what you’re interested in. You may have skill in something but don’t like doing it. Try to find work that is a good combination of things you are inherently good at but also like doing.33
Then, try to get other people to work with you to create that thing. Keep making it better and better. If you create something useful, money will be the result. That’s the way a properly working economy rewards the creation of useful goods and services.34
Successful entrepreneurs come in all sizes, shapes, and flavors. I’m not sure there’s any one particular trait that makes them. However, if there is one to focus on, it would be to have an obsessive nature about the quality of the product. In this context, being obsessive-compulsive is a good thing.35
Given that, really really, really liking what you do is a big advantage. It’s important to like whatever you’re doing. Life is too short to spend it doing something you don’t like.36
If you like what you’re doing, you think about it even when you’re not working. It’s something your mind is drawn to. If you don’t like it, it’s much harder to make yourself work.37
If you’re creating something you love and think other people will love, it’s much easier to sacrifice the time and effort. If it doesn’t work out, you won’t regret it.38
My way of dealing with mental problems is to make sure you really care about what you’re doing—and take the pain.39