Skribent: Jason King Dato: Til: System undo crew Emne: Re: [unSYSTEM] Bitcoin, Startups,
and Suicide: Being an Entrepreneur is Fucking Hard
No problem. Needed to be said.
On Aug 29, 2014 4:45 PM, "Christopher Franko" <chrisjfranko@???>
wrote:
> Reallly great read. Thanks man, I needed to see this.
>
>
> On 29 August 2014 15:10, Julia Tourianski <juliatourianski@???>
> wrote:
>
>> It pained me to read this. I just had a similar conversation with Blake
>> Anderson about all these issues just yesterday. But like with that
>> conversation, and reading this, it ended with incredible positivity.
>>
>> Charlie: I'm glad Amir and I visiting you made you happy for at least
>> that day. I really appreciate you saying that. You've gone through some
>> hard shit and those moment are vital to have.
>>
>> I think the key things we need to recall is family and friends. I'm
>> blessed with an amazing family, who supported me through my hard times
>> about 8 months ago. Not everyone has that, but you CAN choose your friends,
>> and this community is full of incredible people.
>>
>> I'm not one to bond with people quickly. Friendship to me has always been
>> difficult for me because I don't take it lightly. In the past few months
>> (for I am but a small child in this movement) I've met the smartest, most
>> inspirational people ever. Not only met, but became very good friends with.
>>
>> So I'll end by saying this: YOU ALL ARE TOO SMART TO KILL YOURSELF. Do
>> the world a favor and stay alive please.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> For the secrets and lies, my PGP key:
>> https://libbitcoin.dyne.org/julia_tourianski.pgp.asc >>
>>
>> On Thu, Aug 28, 2014 at 2:18 PM, Charlie 'Charles' Shrem <
>> cshrem@???> wrote:
>>
>>> I've been battling depression the past few months, hardcore. When they
>>> put me in solitary I thought my life was over.
>>>
>>> I have all of you my friends to thank for keeping my spirits up and
>>> Bitcoin for giving me a propose. I think back on the good times, eating
>>> with Amir and Julia on my porch and partying with Jason in Atlanta.
>>>
>>> Let the good times roll :)
>>>
>>> On Thursday, August 28, 2014, Amir Taaki <genjix@???> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I wanted to kill myself over Bitcoinica. It was a very bad moment...
>>>>
>>>> On 28/08/14 14:11, Jason King wrote:
>>>> > For over a week now, I’ve been trying to write a year in review piece
>>>> > for Satoshi Forest. The words, which usually just flow like a spigot
>>>> > when I’m passionate about something, seem to just dribble out. And
>>>> what
>>>> > little eeks by is hardly print worthy. Maybe it’s just writer’s block?
>>>> > Writer’s block happens. Or maybe I’m not as passionate about Satoshi
>>>> > Forest as I used to be?
>>>> >
>>>> > But, I am passionate about Satoshi Forest, perhaps more than I ever
>>>> have
>>>> > been. And writer’s block, if it is the culprit, cannot explain why I
>>>> > haven’t responded to Elizabeth Ploshay’s ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, in
>>>> a
>>>> > timely fashion. I guess I’ll have to donate now. You see it’s not just
>>>> > the Satoshi Forest year in review, it’s everything. Emails from
>>>> friends
>>>> > I haven’t responded to, phone calls I let go to voicemail, new
>>>> endeavors
>>>> > at Sean’s Outpost I let sit unannounced
>>>> > (http://blockchain.satoshiforest.com/). And then it hits me. I’ve
>>>> been
>>>> > here before.
>>>> >
>>>> > I’m really depressed.
>>>> >
>>>> > And it seems to be going around.
>>>> >
>>>> > Since the tragic suicide of Robin Williams, four (4) people close to
>>>> me
>>>> > have also tried to kill themselves. One succeeded. An anecdotal survey
>>>> > of my friends has seen an equal uptick in the number of people talking
>>>> > about or attempting suicide. It’s been really disturbing.
>>>> >
>>>> > In the preparations for the Bitcoin in the Beltway conference this
>>>> past
>>>> > June, I had one of the more surreal conversations of my life. An east
>>>> > coast sales director for Marriott called me wanting to know if bitcoin
>>>> > was linked to suicide. They had heard of the tragic death of Autumn
>>>> > Radtke in March
>>>> > (
>>>> http://nypost.com/2014/03/06/bitcoin-firm-ceo-jumped-to-her-death-neighbor/ >>>> )
>>>> > and were concerned about hosting a conference for a technology that
>>>> was
>>>> > making people kill themselves. I was sure he was joking. He was not.
>>>> The
>>>> > conversation I had with him must have allayed his fears.
>>>> #BitcoinBeltway
>>>> > went great, can’t wait to do it again next year.
>>>> >
>>>> > Obviously, bitcoin does not cause suicide. And while we are quick to
>>>> > sticky a “suicide prevention hotline” when the price crashes, bitcoin
>>>> is
>>>> > not causing depression. What we may want to look into is something
>>>> that
>>>> > is not bitcoin related, but more something that comes part and parcel
>>>> > with “bitcoiners”.
>>>> >
>>>> > The woes of entrepreneurship and startup culture.
>>>> >
>>>> > Being an entrepreneur is fucking hard. Really hard. Most people don’t
>>>> > even attempt it.
>>>> >
>>>> > It might not feel that way to you, but likely that’s because you
>>>> > surround yourself with other entrepreneurs. Your friends work at
>>>> > startups. Your trips are to startup conferences and conventions. Your
>>>> > news feed is r/bitcoin and hacker news. You are firmly in the echo
>>>> chamber.
>>>> >
>>>> > Most people will never try and build a product or company. So most
>>>> > people will never experience what it is like to fear you won’t make
>>>> > payroll and someone else will not be able to pay their rent because
>>>> of you.
>>>> >
>>>> > Most people will never know how difficult it is to raise money. To get
>>>> > someone else to believe in you enough to open their checkbook and
>>>> > support you financially. The hours you spend and the mental strain
>>>> that
>>>> > comes from hearing “No” again and again and again. And if you get a
>>>> > “Yes” the pressure doesn’t dissipate! It increases! Now it’s your
>>>> crazy
>>>> > idea and someone elses money you’re responsible for.
>>>> >
>>>> > Being an entrepreneur is really hard.
>>>> >
>>>> > And we are really hard on ourselves. We are afraid to show any
>>>> weakness.
>>>> > Because we’ve been taught being weak or vulnerable is to be shunned.
>>>> If
>>>> > someone asks you how your company is doing “We’re killing. it.”
>>>> probably
>>>> > comes off your lips before you’ve even processed the question.
>>>> >
>>>> > It is statistically impossible for everyone to always be “killing it”.
>>>> >
>>>> > But ask at your next mixer or meetup and almost everyone will be
>>>> > “killing it”.
>>>> >
>>>> > And that pressure to succeed, to perform, to win is immense. And I
>>>> think
>>>> > that pressure may be even worse in bitcoin.
>>>> >
>>>> > Not to everyone, but to a lot of bitcoin early adopters, and
>>>> especially
>>>> > to a lot of early bitcoin entrepreneurs, bitcoin is a promise. A
>>>> glimpse
>>>> > of a better world free from the inequalities brought by our legacy
>>>> > financial system. So if you fail in bitcoin, it is easy to feel that
>>>> you
>>>> > are failing on that promise too.
>>>> >
>>>> > I’ve felt that way. Felt that if I screw up I am screwing it up for
>>>> > every non-profit and charity. That they will somehow not get the
>>>> > benefits of bitcoin because I failed. I see it in others. Just a week
>>>> > ago at #Cryptolina I talked with a group of brilliant entrepreneurs
>>>> who
>>>> > were convinced that if they didn’t beat an incumbent payment solution
>>>> to
>>>> > market, they had lost the war. And that whole segment of the market
>>>> > would NEVER benefit from cryptocurrency.
>>>> >
>>>> > Being a bitcoin entrepreneur is hard.
>>>> >
>>>> > And I don’t have the answers to how to deal with all the pressure and
>>>> > depression that come from doing what we do. But I have learned a
>>>> couple
>>>> > of things and maybe someone else that is experiencing depression or
>>>> > having dark thoughts can read this and gain some value from what I’ve
>>>> > learned. And even better, maybe someone that has dealt with depression
>>>> > in the past can riff on what I’ve said and provide some insight into
>>>> how
>>>> > they cope.
>>>> >
>>>> > 1) You are not alone.
>>>> >
>>>> > When you are depressed, it seems like everyone else has it all
>>>> together
>>>> > and you are the anomaly. That’s not true. They probably don’t have
>>>> their
>>>> > shit together either. And everyone has problems we don’t see.
>>>> Everyone.
>>>> >
>>>> > Some of the greatest entrepreneurs and investors of all time have had
>>>> > brutal fights with depression and suicidal thoughts.
>>>> >
>>>> > READ:
>>>> >
>>>> >
>>>> http://www.inc.com/magazine/201309/jessica-bruder/psychological-price-of-entrepreneurship.html >>>> >
>>>> > 2) Bitcoin needs you and it doesn’t need you. And that’s ok.
>>>> >
>>>> > Bitcoin needs you. It really does. But it doesn’t need only you, it
>>>> > needs all of us. You are not the single point of failure. Bitcoins
>>>> > success is just a decentralized as the blockchain. So give yourself a
>>>> > break. It’s ok to make mistakes and it’s ok to fail. It’s even ok to
>>>> > fail spectacularly.
>>>> >
>>>> > Think back to how many times bitcoin has been declared dead. How many
>>>> > times has the price crashed? How many times has a major bitcoin
>>>> > institution been corrupted/hacked/found to be a scam?
>>>> >
>>>> > And yet, here we are. An you are here too.
>>>> >
>>>> > 3) It is ok to ask for help.
>>>> >
>>>> > This is hard to learn. We come from a self sufficient culture. And if
>>>> > you ask for help, people will realize that you are not as awesome as
>>>> > they thought you were...BULLSHIT. Asking for help has ZERO bearing on
>>>> > how awesome a person you are. In fact, your friends WANT TO HELP YOU.
>>>> > Being there for you in a moment of crisis is something your friends
>>>> are
>>>> > probably really down for. But if you ignore them or won’t tell them
>>>> you
>>>> > are having problems it is really difficult for them to help. Talk to
>>>> > someone. If all else fails you can always call…
>>>> >
>>>> > THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
>>>> >
>>>> > I know all of this might not make a difference. When you are caught up
>>>> > in your head in the middle of a depressive episode nothing seems to
>>>> > help. Try to find something that you can concentrate on just to get
>>>> you
>>>> > thru the worst of it. For me, I go play with my kids. It helps me.
>>>> > Sometimes more than others.
>>>> >
>>>> > If you are feeling down, try to talk to someone. And if you see
>>>> someone
>>>> > feeling down, try to lend a supportive ear.
>>>> >
>>>> > Bitcoin needs you alive.
>>>> >
>>>> >
>>>> >
>>>> > _______________________________________________
>>>> > unSYSTEM mailing list: http://unsystem.net >>>> > https://mailinglists.dyne.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/unsystem >>>> >
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Charlie
>>>
>>> CharlieShrem.com | *Please **encrypt messages with my PGP key
>>> <http://charlieshrem.com/contact/>*
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> unSYSTEM mailing list: http://unsystem.net >>> https://mailinglists.dyne.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/unsystem >>>
>>>
>>
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Re: [unSYSTEM] Bitcoin, Startups,
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