How many of us have a dream we’ve buried—telling ourselves it’s a lost cause?
Every time we daydream about it, we get pulled back. Oftentimes, it’s ourselves that put that dream on hold as self-doubt and imposter syndrome creep in.
For the last 25 years, I’ve been fortunate to be a serial entrepreneur. I started 3 venture-backed startups that were all acquired by publicly traded companies.
Starting a company is hard. It’s lonely. Entrepreneurs experience higher divorce rates, addiction, depression, and suicide. Luckily, I was privileged to be surrounded by great investors, advisors, mentors, and support network via Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) to help me through the darkest days.
I was moved when I read Bronnie Ware’s book, The Five Regrets of the Dying, as she highlighted the top 5 regrets of the dying during her palliative care journey. They were:
5. I wish I had let myself be happier.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
3. I wish I had the courage to express my feelings.
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
Many of us carry dreams from childhood into adulthood—starting a bakery, launching a nonprofit, building a business. But society’s expectations and the fear of the unknown versus the known hold us back. We tell ourselves: ‘It’s too late,’ ‘I don’t know where to start,’ ‘I’ll do it after I retire.’ The next thing we know, time has passed, and we never had the courage to live a life true to ourselves.
I started searching for a community of late-blooming entrepreneurs—people who weren’t 20-something tech geniuses dropouts, like Gates and Zuckerberg, but real-world dreamers looking for their second (or third) act. I didn’t find much.
The reality is that there are 5 million small businesses started in the U.S. every year and 50% of them are started by people 40+. There’s clearly a lack of community and resources for these people, which is why I started UnLost Cause to be a source of inspiration and community to help people turn their lost cause into an unlost cause.
I’m interviewing people 40+ that have had the courage to lean into their dreams, and I will share the interview on YouTube and via podcasts.
Thanks again for your support and encouragement. If this resonates with you, I’d love for you to join me. Subscribe on YouTube, listen to the podcast, and connect with others in this journey. Let’s all live without regrets.