You mention adjusting tactics and strategies, even goals, based on circumstances. This is what “playing the cards you have” is. You do what you can with what you’ve got.
Giving up before you start doesn’t help because it’s a shut down. You don’t even get to the part of assessing viability and weighing risk.
The point is that if you want a change on whatever dimension you choose to care about, you have to do something. What that something is depends on the cards you have. How far it can take you again depends on circumstances.
And it’s fine to not want to do things. Or see the costs and decide that kind of life is not for you. But at least you took the time to evaluate.
> Giving up before you start doesn’t help because it’s a shut down. You don’t even get to the part of assessing viability and weighing risk.
Now you're adding "before you start", who said that until you did? Ok, what if instead you've gotten to the part of assessing viability and weighing risk and then decided not to go down that path, of, say, founding a startup.
> What that something is depends on the cards you have. How far it can take you again depends on circumstances.
Right, perhaps depending on circumstances that something is not founding a startup.
I don't totally understand what we're disagreeing about. Or what you mean when you say "it doesn't help" -- help who do what?
I would say deciding your circumstances make it harder for you than others to found a startup, thus it would make more sense to join someone else's startup or look for a job at a FAANG or something instead -- could at least conceivably "help". Help you find a path that works better for you to find success. I'm not sure what you mean by your repetition that it "doesn't help", as, like, a logical a priori.
> Now you're adding "before you start", who said that until you did?
That was already in the comment your own (G)GP[1] was a reply to, so they're certainly not adding it "now."
> I don't totally understand what we're disagreeing about. Or what you mean when you say "it doesn't help" -- help who do what?
As I was going to reply to your (G)GP[1]: Help anyone with whatever it was they didn't even start on doing. Be it running a marathon or starting a company or... What does it matter? Isn't it obvious that if you never start training for a marathon, that won't help you run one? And that the same goes for starting a company -- if you never even start starting a company, then you'll never get to the point of having started a company? And the same for anything you might want to do?
What I don't understand is how anyone can honestly claim not to understand that.
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[1]: Grandparent of your comment that I'm replying to; great-grandparent of this my reply.
You mention adjusting tactics and strategies, even goals, based on circumstances. This is what “playing the cards you have” is. You do what you can with what you’ve got.
Giving up before you start doesn’t help because it’s a shut down. You don’t even get to the part of assessing viability and weighing risk.
The point is that if you want a change on whatever dimension you choose to care about, you have to do something. What that something is depends on the cards you have. How far it can take you again depends on circumstances.
And it’s fine to not want to do things. Or see the costs and decide that kind of life is not for you. But at least you took the time to evaluate.