Thoughts about Hard Things

Dear Gochi,

When I decided to write you a series of letters, I had no idea about how hard it could be. I was thinking that every letter will be a document of joy and pleasure. (As I thought about you as an end recipient.)

As I progressed into dozens of letters, I noticed how hard it was to open up about my past or present. I noticed how hard it was to continue writing and completing my task.

This is something that most of us share in common. We love the beginning parts. We do not necessarily think about the end. Even if we have an end in our mind, we find it hard to finish what we started. Call it laziness, call it despair and lack of courage. Whatever the reason it looks at us as the bouncer would do in front of a club. This club looks so promising but we are not allowed. Bouncer is huge and aggressive. We are not going to make our way into it.

Hard Things about Hard Things is the name of a book where one of the big names in Tech Industry bleeds page after page about being a CEO and project manager. He says it is hard yet you find him continuing doing his job and not slacking.

I continue to write because it would be internally wrong to do so. I believe in greatness at all costs. There are moments that we will stop and not want to give our best. And we may have solid reasons for doing so.

There are some moments that help me to wake up from my stupor. Let me share them with you.

Whenever I find it hard, I think about the Eiffel Tower. Can you imagine how ugly it would look if not completed? I think about Tolstoy and his novels. Can you imagine him not finishing his stories? It would be considered a crime.

Can you imagine Michelangelo not sculpting the rest of his David? Can you imagine half- built? Basically, we cannot imagine greatness in half. We imagine it as a whole image. Sometimes some projects are so grand in their establishment that it takes dozens of scientist and engineer lives to complete them. Some ideas wait for a hundred years to be finished and presented in their finest way. What gives me fuel to continue? It is a simple fact that I have something to write about. My topics never end. My feelings never cease to surprise me. I write because I can. This is what my foundation is built on. I…