From Yachts to Stardust: Analyzing the Pursuit of Self-Actualization

Jerry’s Journal - June 30th

When I was young, I saw a Carmel by the Sea Yacht poster, Carmel Yacht Club. I didn't know what a yacht was, and I didn't even know what Carmel was. But what I saw was an exclusive group of people that I wanted to be a part of. My parents, on the other hand, were just visitors of Carmel. They would probably never own a yacht in their lives.

Since I am an engineer by trade, I started to ask why and, more importantly, what to do with this information.

I thought to myself, if we look at the big, big picture, everyone started from a similar beginning. Sure, the parents of the person who buys a yacht may have been rich, but their parents may not have been rich, and so on. Somewhere along the line, we all started at the same place, as just two human beings, or depending on what you believe, celestial stardust, or two monkeys.

Sure, back then, when the playing field was more level, it may have been easier to deviate from the norm to be in a socially favorable position to buy luxuries such as boats, but it’s definitely still possible. I mean, the yacht industry doesn’t seem like it's on the verge of collapsing, meaning every day, more new entrepreneurs and moonshots can afford these luxuries.

Many people are cautioned from following their passion, the moonshot dreams, because of the statistics. But think about it, if everyone followed statistics, there would be no new companies that would be formed. The contrary is true; every single day, an upcoming company gets its first round of investment, gets acquired to retire its founders, or rings the bell at IPO. 

Yes, statistically, your company may fail, but again, if everyone followed the statistics, the road wouldn’t be paved for the majority of the population that is looking for employment. The success paradox states that the people that win are the ones that have full faith in their success, a sort of disillusion in themselves. However, the paradoxical part is that once they succeed, they need to acknowledge that luck played a big role in their wins so that they can contribute back to society in the facilities that helped them succeed, such as education, healthcare, and rehabilitation.

This journal entry is not meant to encourage everyone to enter entrepreneurship or fully commit to their 1 in a million success-rated passion. In fact, it may even be the opposite - this journey can be fraught with peril and extreme stress. There hasn’t been a single day since fifth grade when I didn’t think about getting hit by a bus, other than the times I spent quality time with one of my crushes. Maybe what I really want in life is a dream-like romantic life, going on an adventure, living new, novel experiences, and waking up every morning with a special someone.

But somewhere deep down inside of me, I know I have to succeed with a big win, whether that is with a sale of a company, fame through the internet, or some other venture. I don’t know why, I just know I have to.

So if you have this burning desire, and passion to create something larger than yourself, don’t let anyone else extinguish it. However, if you’re doing it out of money or some external reason, I would think really hard before starting.