Cathedrals and Startups

Building used to take much longer than it does now. Cathedrals, bridges, and skyscrapers took dozens, sometimes hundreds of years to construct. 

If you were a builder, it was entirely possible that you wouldn’t see your work finished. You would stack bricks and move rocks, only to die before the building was done. 

Where’s the American motivation in that? Where’s the startup funding? The IPO? The payout? Working so hard for something you don’t get to enjoy seems crazy. 

But, in a way, the things we believe most in are more like cathedrals than startups. If you are passionate about racial justice or transgender equality or pro-life causes, it’s unlikely you’ll see these things actualize before you die. You’ll see progress. You’ll see small wins. You’ll see a great sunset on the scaffolding. But you won’t see them finished. That’s ok.

We need to separate our internet startup mindset, and our long-term culture change mindset. When we bring a 5-year expectation to age-old issues, we get discouraged and burned out. Bring a cathedral mindset. Stack as many bricks as you can. Enroll as many people as you can. Catch a few sunsets along the way. 

Good luck out there.