Thoughtful Words from Indra No. 3
A friend of mine recently shared an old email from his college days with me. The email was about getting sponsorship for a startup hackathon we were in charge of throwing a few years ago. There was a list of notable Georgia Tech young entrepreneurs on the list that he was tasked with reaching out to. Back then, these were people we looked up to. They had started their companies when they were in college, just about our age then. They had worked hard, figured out shit, and were (comparatively) successful. It felt a bit surreal, knowing we weren't too far now from where those entrepreneurs were then. Me with Sora Schools, my friend with his own company.
Back when I first came to college, all I knew was that I wanted to eventually run my own company one day (blame me if you want for having a fairly immature life goal). I wanted to get there as soon as possible, but I knew I didn't know a lot about it. So, I spent quite a bit of time just trying to hang with people who were interested in the same stuff--hence the startup hackathon we threw, alongside a host of other clubs I was a part of and my own burgeoning business at the time. I idolized Silicon Valley. Hell, when I got sponsorship from Sequoia Capital for my club in college, I kept the envelope the check came in because it was just a regular piece of mail with "Sequoia Capital" stamped on it. I still have it. My aspiration combined with that ever-decreasing time before graduation led to some existential crises as I wondered why the hell I wasn't doing the thing and starting my own startup.
But now I'm doing it. The only thing between me and my goals are my own ability to work hard and solve problems. It's exciting, and also slightly terrifying at the same time--like holding a precious, fragile thing in my hands and really hoping I don't screw up.
Of course, I'm also learning to slow down every now and then enjoy what I have, to not be so goal-oriented all the time to the detriment of ignoring the little moments to celebrate. Life is fragile, and I've been reminded well enough by others how quickly everything can change and turn upside-down. So, I'll take that random trip to a different city, hang with friends I haven't seen in a while, celebrate a small victory with the Sora team, and all that. There's lots to be stressed and anxious about in business, so it's worthwhile to remember that the fun part isn't making it, but how we made it. And to be grateful for everything, too: my parents, my sweet team, my friends, and my general life circumstances.
Hopefully, one day, I'll be on that list that a bunch of young, aspiring college students want to hit up for money to buy swag for their club/event.
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General Life Updates
Recently moved out of my apartment, and I found out how heavy everything is
Oatmeal can actually be tasty
Headed to NYC for a weekend to hang with some old and new friends!
Still working on ma next Medium article--it'll be about the Chinese restaurant thing I mentioned a while back in the 2nd newsletter edition
Watched Spiderman: Far From Home, and it was dope as hell
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Recent Medium Articles
When a Friendship Can't Be Revived
You've been warned: this is a sad piece.
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Thanks for reading! As always, if you ever want to suggest any to me or have any comments, you can reach me through my Twitter.
Or, if you know me personally, just DM me :)
Cheers,
Indra