You can have everything you want, just not all at once.
Ever since starting this journey building my startup. I knew I had to make sacrifices. I had to sacrifice stability. My full-time return offer at Nokia would've been so comfortable, and cushy. I would've been able to move out, be on track for my financial goals, and have a clear pathway to building my ML skills.
I've had to sacrifice time with my friends. Instead of hanging out with them, carving pumpkins, going clubbing, taking salsa classes, I've spent all my time at home working.
Today I told my mom that I couldn't go with her and our family to Hong Kong. It was a family trip we had been planning for a while. I hadn't thought I'd be working on a startup at this time.
It's brutal to say no to important events of the people I cherish most, yet, I haven't felt a strong sense of regret. At the end of the day I wanted to try this flavour of life. It's a huge contrast of how I've lived my life in the past. I've always prioritized work-life balance, having a strong social life, but at some point you wonder what it's like on the other side.
That's really why I'm here, the reason I try out new things all the time, is to experience all the colours of life.
As painful as it is to sacrifice all these valuable components of my life, I wouldn't want it any other way. If I wasn't all in, I'd lose the chance to say I really put everything into building something for myself. I know losing that would be one of the biggest regrets of my life.