What did I want to be when I grew up? An explorer.
Mercantilism, huge risk, huge reward, glory and fame, enormous leadership opportunities, the chance to make your mark on the world. It’s all a young entrepreneur’s dream.
Sadly, uncharted waters, and the days of risking your crew’s life to discover new trade routes are gone…
Enter Exploration 2.0: The Age of Information
What really motivated the pre 18th century explorers? Adventure.
Yes, you’ve heard me say before– life is all about the adventure. You’ve heard it a million times– it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. All of my life I’ve wanted to be an entrepreneur. Why? For the thrill.
Living at the mercy of your own decisions is exhilarating. Make your own rules, reap your own rewards. A life of adventure.
As an entrepreneur you have nobody to answer to but yourself. The people who embody entrepreneurship the most are the ones you end up reading about. They are the ones who go against the grain. Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, Sean Parker, Oprah Winfrey. These are the legends… and they didn’t play it this way by being safe.
Want to live a life that you could write a book about? I do.
Maybe you think I’m over romanticizing it. Maybe you think I’m over-dramatic. Maybe you think I’m full of sh*t.
I don’t care.
…and neither did Jobs, or Branson, or Oprah.
The people who inspire me are the ones who change the world… and I want to be part of that. Peter Thiel– PayPal and Facebook, yes, but now he’s investing in space, super intelligence, living forever, and paying kids not to go to college.
If we are going to spend such a large majority of our lives working, it might as well be on something BIG.
But How?
Go rouge. Be different. Think for yourself. See the world. Experience life.
Where are you right now? Is it really where you want to be? If not, find out a way to get there.
Sounds easy right? Well, it’s not. But that didn’t stop Sean Parker. The dude created one of the biggest internet phenomenons ever. All despite having to go into hiding and being nearly homeless. Then, his Justin Timberlake suave came in to propel Zuckerberg to greatness. Now, he’s changing the world of music again (this time legally), with Spotify.
This blog post isn’t going to tell you how to do it. Nobody will. If you are looking for the answers, look somewhere else. This post is a tribute to all the people who have inspired us to do what we do, and to the countless others who have failed trying.
Lucky for us, there are tons of Lewis and Clark type stories… and even better, we can live out our very own. Struggle, hardship, rise and fall… it’s all part of the story of every great entrepreneur.
Not seeing the connection between life on the high seas and cranking out code in your parents basement?
Grab your laptop. Grab your backpack. Go.
The best part about all this is that you can do it from anywhere. Life doesn’t have to be acted out on the set of Bravo’s reality show, Start-Ups: Silicon Valley.
I’ve spent the last 4 months working in internet cafe’s in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Iceland, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia. If you want a more exciting life, if you crave adventure, if you wish you were making a journey through the interior of Africa searching for Dr. David Livingstone, get out there and do it. It’s a big world. Go explore.
I’m not saying that making web apps from Timbuktu will change the world. But it could.
If you want to learn to think different, stop hanging out with your friends.
Yup, I said it. Stop seeking like minded people and start surrounding yourself with people who aren’t anything like you. Stop going to the local dive where you’ve been demolishing beers for the past 4 years and get out of your comfort zone. Shock your system. See the world through a different lens. Your friends will still be there when you get back. I promise.
Your adventure starts now. How are you going to spend your life?
I play by my own set of rules. Do you?
Matt Wilson is Co-founder of Under30Media. Join Matt on their newest adventure: Under30CEO GREEN Business Tour Costa Rica December 5-9, 2012. Sign up for more information at http://under30experiences.com to hear about their Microfinance Surf Camp to Nicaragua and Startup Iceland Adventure 2013.
To attend the Under30CEO GREEN Business Tour Costa Rica, please email matt (at) under30ceo.com with a paragraph on why you’d be a fit for this life changing Under30Experience.
