FWIW, I think "mediocre" is relative and very personal. A stable job, a modest house, a 401(k) with some money in it, etc., would be mediocre for me, because that just isn't what I want. But I would never argue that it's mediocre in any universal or objective sense. Whether someone's life is mediocre or not is entirely relative to their ambitions, goals, and priorities.
So if you ever hear me describe that kind of life as mediocre, know that that only means it isn't the kind of life I aspire to.
In fact, I go home sometimes to visit my best friend... he works as an over the road truck driver, doesn't make a ton of money, has a modest home, etc., but has a great wife and three kids. I would never call his life mediocre, and I'm even jealous in certain regards at times. I'll even be the first to say that he has accomplished more than I have in a lot of ways, while I'm off chasing entrepreneurial dreams and big ambitions.
Silicon Valley startup porn is harmful to many people
No doubt. But for some of us, it's not just "I want to be rich". I mean, I joke about a lot of things (search for my old posts here mentioning the word 'Maserati' for example), but the real driver for me is the need to be free. I want to run my own company and have plenty of money, just for the degree of freedom that entails. I can't stand the idea of having a "boss" in the traditional sense, somebody who can come in and order me around and keep me under his thumb. I want "FU money" because I want the freedom to say "FU" and go do what I want to do. But that's just a reflection of my self-centered, radical individualist, libertarian nature.
