Why success as a Founder is a mirage*

If you're considering the leap into Founder life and are set on the idea of achieving, feeling like or even becoming a success, I can tell you from firsthand and countless secondhand experiences, that a restful state of success for a Founder is a mirage. An illusion. Or as Matthew McConaughey, circa 2013 in Wolf of Wall Street puts it:

Googlio defines success as "the accomplishment of an aim or purpose."

Yes, you will accomplish things, but like it's elusive bedfellow happiness, success is not a restful state or place you can hang your hat.

Blame the hedonic treadmill.

Blame it on the realization that even if you had an asshole boss who was made of Teflon™, you'll probably be 10-20x less forgiving than they were.

Blame the fact that founding, building, almost killing and resurrecting your startup will put all of your weaknesses, worries and warts under an industrial grade microscope.

Plus, being a Founder will age you in dog years. Woof.

Yes, you will catch momentary glimpses of success.

Think Northern Lights instead of say, gravity.

But, the goalposts will move.

There will be no back pats, no kudos and certainly no mailing it in.

Your startup also won't resolve any personal or emotional voids that you have from family, friendship or other life issues that have haunted you. It can momentarily distract you from them, though. In some cases, these issues might even help fuel you. Note: it's probably not the most sustainable, cleanest or renewable fuel source.

To all of this I say:

* DO IT ANYWAY

Find out who you are and what you are made of. If you have the opportunity to get after it, go ahead and:

• Prove yourself

• Change the world

• Generate an above median return on your time invested

• Fail spectacularly

• Dust yourself off and do it all over again

Send this post to a friend or colleague who yearns for the Founder life.

I'm more than happy to talk them into or out of it.