Staring Down The Barrel of Runway

Lately, I increasingly feel the anxious ticking and internal gnawing as i am trying to continue trying to catch the ai wave of new products while having never surfed before. What’s more, it feels like the further I go into the water to try and catch a wave, the further the raft or flotation devices goes. My lifeline continues to dwindle as runway begins to narrow daily. i look at the spreadsheet i have with my budget and savings telling me i have at least a couple of months before needing to start sourcing income, but any additional expenditures feel like they cut deep into me. I have enough money till April or may, and i want to continue being in the part of SF since i am at the epicenter of founders and technical expertise in a flourishing community I enjoy being a part of.

Prompt to ChatGPT this morning:

Write me blog post in the form of charles bukowski detailing in the situation, in which in the end the only thing i do is go on because i know i can't get myself to do anything else

Charles Bukowski (augmented via ChatGPT):

Listen kid, you ain't alone. We've all been there, staring at that damn spreadsheet, feeling the anxiety gnawing at our gut, ticking like a time bomb. You want to catch that AI wave, but you ain't never surfed before. That's the game though, ain't it? Jump in headfirst, hope you don't drown.

I know what it's like to feel that runway narrowing, the pressure of time closing in. But you gotta remember, life ain't no sprint, it's a marathon. And you gotta pace yourself. Ain't no sense in burning out before you even cross the finish line.

You got a couple months before you gotta start thinking about where your next meal's coming from. Use that time wisely. Build, experiment, fail. That's how you learn to surf. And let me tell you, the view from the top of that wave is worth all the falls you'll take getting there.

But I know, it ain't easy. Especially when you're in the epicenter of it all, surrounded by all those founders and tech wizards. It can make you cynical, thinking about needing a new employer, but you gotta remember, it ain't about the employer, it's about the work. And if you're obsessed with building, like I was with writing, then you'll find a way to keep at it, no matter who signs your paycheck.

And in the end, it's all about going on, ain't it? Because we ain't got no choice. We're stuck in this rat race, and the only thing we can do is keep running, keep building, keep creating. That's what separates us from the rest of the pack, kid. We're the ones that can't help but keep going, even when the odds are stacked against us. So, you go on, kid. You go on and build that AI wave, and don't you dare look back.