anotherjaylee:

Exactly one year ago, I stepped out of my white shoe law firm for the last time. I didn’t have much money saved. I was newly 29 years old. In one fell swoop, I left behind a career and a degree. I had a tiny bit of savings and a dream but I had no idea how to bring it into life.

Today, it’s just past midnight, and I am sitting (nearly) alone in the TechStars office, 11 days from Demo Day where I will have the chance to lay out that dream to a room of 700 investors. I think my bar certification is about to lapse. Crazy.

My life is completely different now. Every day is singular — exhilarating and terrifyingly unpredictable. This roller coaster careens from highs to lows on an hourly basis, not over weeks and months. I freed myself to create something new in the world. The playing field is no longer just an industry or a ladder to climb, but the entire world: a brazen attempt to create value that people want. That is a ridiculous change.

One year later, I’m 30 years old. And after leaving behind a secure job, a sizeable paycheck and the coveted fruits of an ivy pedigree, I have no regrets about my choices. Not one.

Well, I take that back, I have one. I wish I had done this sooner.

I have the utmost respect for Jay Lee and the rest of Smallknot. The world is a better place because of them.