Steven

And if you see a lot of the lumber that is harvested these days and you compare it to lumber from like old growth forests, you might as well be looking at a completely different tree. A lot of the wood that we harvest today that was grown very quickly is soft and weak. compared to the old dense hardwood that they used to make. And I think that's a good analogy that like fast growth is fun.

And if you see a lot of the lumber that is harvested these days and you compare it to lumber from like old growth forests, you might as well be looking at a completely different tree. A lot of the wood that we harvest today that was grown very quickly is soft and weak. compared to the old dense hardwood that they used to make. And I think that's a good analogy that like fast growth is fun.

It's exciting, but there's always, it's like speed always comes at the expense of durability. Always. There's a theory in finance. It's kind of like a tongue in cheek theory that however fast you grow, that's the half-life for how quickly you can die. It's like the faster you grow, the quicker you can die as well. And you see that in nature. You see it with businesses as well.

It's exciting, but there's always, it's like speed always comes at the expense of durability. Always. There's a theory in finance. It's kind of like a tongue in cheek theory that however fast you grow, that's the half-life for how quickly you can die. It's like the faster you grow, the quicker you can die as well. And you see that in nature. You see it with businesses as well.

The hard thing is that if you're an entrepreneur, if you're the CEO or working at a company, there is nothing more thrilling and exciting and get you up in the morning than fast growth. You love it. You love every second of it, even if it's a danger.

The hard thing is that if you're an entrepreneur, if you're the CEO or working at a company, there is nothing more thrilling and exciting and get you up in the morning than fast growth. You love it. You love every second of it, even if it's a danger.

And the companies that can produce tons and tons of money, even like look at Apple, it was created in the 1970s, didn't really find its stride, so to speak, until the mid-2000s. And so it's like sometimes there's companies like Facebook, I guess, and OpenAI that found product market fit, found incredible success virtually overnight, the day that they were invented. Right.

And the companies that can produce tons and tons of money, even like look at Apple, it was created in the 1970s, didn't really find its stride, so to speak, until the mid-2000s. And so it's like sometimes there's companies like Facebook, I guess, and OpenAI that found product market fit, found incredible success virtually overnight, the day that they were invented. Right.

One of the problems with rapid growth too is that the difference between building a product that's going to grow very quickly, that is a very different skill than managing a company that now has 1,000 employees. Those are night and day different skills. And so you might be a very talented entrepreneur who can build a product and get thousands of people to buy it.

One of the problems with rapid growth too is that the difference between building a product that's going to grow very quickly, that is a very different skill than managing a company that now has 1,000 employees. Those are night and day different skills. And so you might be a very talented entrepreneur who can build a product and get thousands of people to buy it.

That does not necessarily mean that you have the skills to manage a 50-person team or a 1,000-person team.

That does not necessarily mean that you have the skills to manage a 50-person team or a 1,000-person team.

What's interesting is that when anyone says happy, you're like, how can you disagree with that? Everybody wants to be happy. But a lot of why people run into problems when they're seeking happiness is because happiness is not the emotion that you want to go for. Happiness is always a five-minute emotion. It comes and goes.

What's interesting is that when anyone says happy, you're like, how can you disagree with that? Everybody wants to be happy. But a lot of why people run into problems when they're seeking happiness is because happiness is not the emotion that you want to go for. Happiness is always a five-minute emotion. It comes and goes.

You experience it, but it's a thrill, and then it kind of wears off very quickly. If you hear a funny joke, you go to a comedy show, it's funny. You laugh at a joke for 20 seconds, and then it's not that funny anymore. What you want to go for, I think, is contentment. And a lot of people, like money can buy a good life.

You experience it, but it's a thrill, and then it kind of wears off very quickly. If you hear a funny joke, you go to a comedy show, it's funny. You laugh at a joke for 20 seconds, and then it's not that funny anymore. What you want to go for, I think, is contentment. And a lot of people, like money can buy a good life.

But when you imagine yourself with the new house, the new car, the nice vacation, when you dream about those making you happy, what you're actually envisioning is yourself being content with those things. You envision yourself on the beach in Maui being content with it. And that's why it feels so good.

But when you imagine yourself with the new house, the new car, the nice vacation, when you dream about those making you happy, what you're actually envisioning is yourself being content with those things. You envision yourself on the beach in Maui being content with it. And that's why it feels so good.

The feeling that you want, the feeling that you're actually chasing, whether you know it or not, it's not happiness, it's contentment. And I think that little shift too is – because most people are out there seeking happiness. But they're like, I'm not – I don't feel that much better than I used to.

The feeling that you want, the feeling that you're actually chasing, whether you know it or not, it's not happiness, it's contentment. And I think that little shift too is – because most people are out there seeking happiness. But they're like, I'm not – I don't feel that much better than I used to.