Late last year, I was approached with an offer at a fast growing, profitable, pre-Series A startup that required me to relocate away from home.
The timing was perfect, as I was recovering from a bout of burnout and I really wanted to take a break from freelancing and working at a startup has been something I wished to do.
So I packed up, travelled 3,000 miles, got settled in quickly and started working my ass off. I had some grand plans in my mind, thinking that this is my chance to put up the highest score of my life, by helping a startup go from start to exit.
6 months on, my drive and desire at this startup is all gone. I stopped believing in the product, not that it sucks, but simply because it's not in a domain I'm interested in. My motivation previously was solely fueled by monetary desires, and we all know that that never lasts.
I'm still working at the startup, although I don't think I'll be here for long. I'm only here, because I feel a sense of responsibility to complete a few remaining tasks before leaving.
Did I ever regret the decision to come here? No, because I got to work with really smart hackers and most importantly, I met some new friends whom I'm now working on a new project with.
It's only after this experience that I started to understand why "you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards."
Oh, and this time, I'm not after monetary gains.
What motivates you?
P.S. I would appreciate it if you could take a look at the landing page I've put up (http://shallwedive.com) and tell me what you think. Sharing it with your friends who scuba dive would be awesome :)
