I’m Really Tired. It’s A Good Thing.

I had a VC tell me I looked tired, and they meant it as a bad thing. Like that somehow being tired, meant unambitious, or that I was giving up. That because I had been exerting myself, I for some reason wouldn’t continue to do so.

I am tired. I’m really tired.

I’m running a startup. Raising a kid. Trying to be an awesome husband. If I wasn’t tired, there’s no way I could be doing a great job at all of those things. It’s not even clear yet if I am doing a great job… in 12 months if my company continues to have solid growth and hit our revenue goals… I’ll know. In 12 years when my daughter is a teenager and thinks she knows all she needs to know from me, and the values and models we set out for her guide her into a successful adult hood… I’ll know. When I remarry Kaili on our 12th 10th Anniversary (I’m bullish on some genome-hacking sci-fi stuff)… I’ll know.

What some investors see as they spectate at the starting line of the marathon, is that we show up exhausted & sweaty. What they fail to see though, is that the start of that marathon is the finish line of the marathon we just completed, but give us a minute to catch our breath, swap in a new pair of shoes, rehydrate… and we’ll be off on the next one.

You ever go up to that super buff dude in your gym right after he squatted several hundred pounds, and let him know he looks pretty tired?… Nope. Even though he probably does, you know the reason he is able to lift what he did is because he was in the gym yesterday, and despite being exhausted, he’ll be there tomorrow.

Building a great business. Doing things that matter. Changing the world. Those are things that take a lot of hard work, long days, late nights and massive commitment.

I’ve never wanted so little sleep as I want right now. I get up really early to spend time with my daughter before I go put in a long day in the office building some really cool shit, then I go for a run to take care of myself… and then head home to have dinner and hang out with my wife.

At the end of each day, I’m frickin tired. But like that buff dude in the gym, I’m stoked on the weight I lifted that day. I don’t see the tired when I’m looking in the mirror, I’m looking at my life’s muscles and I’m thinking, damn I look good.

Tired isn’t weak. Tired is hardworking. Tired are the champions because we worked our asses off to win.

Next time I’m told I look tired by a VC, I’ll just reply that they look well rested… and they’ll know that I meant it as a bad thing.

~Continue the tired people conversation on HackerNews~