Last night a friend whom I hadn’t seen in nearly 25 years came home for dinner. This was significant for several reasons, not the least of which was that this was the first time we’d had someone over since the pandemic began. Of course when you see someone after such a long time, there is some inevitable story swapping of “Remember when..” But thanks to our grown children a lot more of the talk was about where we are.

friends meeting

We also connected over FaceTime with a third friend who’d originally introduced the two of us and boy did we have a roaring time! So while we worry about our own parents coping alone with the pandemic, the fear of a third wave in India, all the young people we know who’ve graduated and still looking for that right job, its easy to lose sight of how fortunate we are at so many levels.

Then this morning I saw this blog post by Jason Lemkin at Saastr. He founded EchoSign that was acquired by Adobe back in July 2011 to become Adobe Sign. He reminds founders that it is easy (even without the pandemic) to get pulled down by all that running a startup entails. It is best said in his own words.

“Remember — These Are the Best of Times. You probably don’t see it, not totally. You might even think the grass is greener as a VC, or a COO, or Something Else. Deep down you might think that.

Being a founder makes you alive. Fewer things are harder, … Nothing will be more consuming. It will change you. A lot. But you’ll remember every minute.

You will be alive.”

JASON LEMKIN

So for all your founders out there, keep the faith!