Jesse Pujji and Dave Kashen discuss why founders should pursue what they actually want instead of grinding through obligation. High energy and authenticity beat discipline and willpower for building magnetic leadership and effectiveness.
What's the downside of letting go of desire? Because a lot of people, again, reject the desire part of this. I don't get what I want. Why would I get what I want? I need to make the right thing. I need to get the answer right.
Well, from my experience, and I play this game, I went to Wharton and I went to Goldman Sachs and I went to a top-performing hedge fund and I did the thing that I thought I was supposed to do. And at least my experience, and I've seen this in many clients, it felt totally empty and inauthentic, you know. It did. It's like, if I— if you really ask yourself, what do you think having that will do for you, right? Most people, the reason they want to win at the game that they think they should be playing is because they think that peace and joy and fulfillment and wholeness and aliveness are like, you know, at the end of that rainbow.. And from my experience, if you're not living authentically, that's not— that's— it doesn't— it just doesn't happen.
Yeah. I found it for me, it was an energetic component that was really important, which is when I'm doing what I want, my energy is sky high and I'm actually way more effective. Yeah. And therefore, and like, I'm more like, I, I can sustain longer and I can, I can actually, and I feel so different, for example, between Ambush and Gateway X of like Ambush, I always felt like I was running for the door. And I get— I'm like, well, this is like, I'm energized. I'm excited by this. Not every day. I have my bad days, of course. But like, in general, I'm like, oh no, because this is like what I want. I'm doing exactly as I, you know, what I want. And when I, by the way, when I get away from what I want, I get, I get a real clear message that came back. Like I was texting you about that yesterday or today and I was like, ooh, I'm getting some— like, this is not— this is like, it's becoming more clear to me. This is not what I want. But I think it's really hard to tune into it and honor it, actually.
Yeah. Yeah. But I love what you said. That's my experience too. People tend to be much more energized, which by the way is again, one of the most precious resources of creating something in the world is your own energy. Also, it's magnetic. So charismatic when someone's like, you know, you meet some entrepreneurs who clearly like, they love what they're doing. They're so passionate about the mission that it, you know, it's self-fulfilling because it's so magnetic.
And it's empowering too for other people.
