TL;DR: If part of your life plan involves creating something new in the world, chances are it will require you taking on added risk. Nobody knows what will work until they try. You’ll be entering a world of uncertainty. You could find yourself meandering for years until you hit on the right idea that resonates with the universe. That’s why having an infinite runway is so important – you need the staying power to stick at it until you figure things out. Until something clicks. That’s the power and the promise of Ramen Retirement – giving you the time and space to discover your gift and share it with the world!
– William Goldman
As I write about often, the goal of Ramen Retirement is not to marinate on a beach for the rest of your days. The goal is to free your time and energy, so you can focus on your strengths and share your gift with the world. The beauty of Ramen Retirement is that once you’re there you have a near infinite runway to do this.
Having infinite runway is key, because as William Goldman said about Hollywood, nobody knows anything. This is also true with entrepreneurship. Building the future is hard. There is no clear path. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that nobody knows what will work or what will stick. No plan survives first contact with customers. While most of the tech press applauds visionary founders, the reality is that what appears as visionary in retrospect, was likely a healthy dose of crazy and lucky, mixed with hard work and perseverance. For every successful idea, there are hundreds of failed ventures along the wayside.
But that’s okay. Inventing the future requires exploring the unknown and testing assumptions. Most of the time, those explorations will prove fruitless. But that’s why having your bases covered with Ramen Retirement is so important. Knowing that you have a roof over your head and food on your table is the foundation you will need to get back up after each setback and keep moving forward.
If you’re ready to jump into the abyss of entrepreneurship, think of it as a permanent career change. There is no going back. You will work at this ‘entrepreneurship thing’ indefinitely until you figure it out. You’re going to keep failing until you succeed. There will be stumbles along the way. Expect the trough of sorrow. Expect to flame out. It happens to the best. Which is why it’s so important to have Ramen Retirement in your back pocket, giving you that quiet confidence that you have the staying power to see the venture through, or to pick yourself up and tackle the next one if the current one fails.
Starting something new is hard, but with Ramen Retirement, you have the infinite runway as a founder to keep at it until something clicks. Knowing you have the downside covered, you can focus on the upside opportunity. You’ll be fearless when facing the world, which will give you all the more strength and bargaining power to take the chances you need, hold strong in the negotiations, and break out into truly remarkable returns – all because your worst case scenario isn’t so bad.
That’s the power of Ramen Retirement, and why I wish it for everyone with a dream. It’s all possible, you just need to show up, do the work, and have faith that the rest will take care of itself. Because it will, if you give it time.
Enjoy the journey!
