Optimism is in short supply

This is a post for startup founders.

If you are pre-PMF, you are at war with a brutal enemy: your own psychology. This enemy will do whatever it can to throw you off course. It will manifest externally: every competitor raise post, VC rejection, failed launch, is a slap in the face from this brutal, vicious enemy.

Things will go wrong. Pre-PMF all you can really do is maintain your irrational optimism. You must protect your mild delusion at all costs, because without it, you are just some guy.

To achieve this, I find it helpful to avoid pessimistic people. These people like to think of themselves as “realists,” but it cannot be understated how poisonous this energy is to a fragile toddler of a startup.

I would suggest you audit those around you both in and out of your startup. Consider taking some necessary actions. Vibes matter.

There is an argument to be made that a balanced pessimistic + optimistic team can make for a grounded & focused team. But I’m not convinced this is a good thing.