I think you both bring up really good points. However, I tend to agree more with Stephen’s point (and not just because he name-dropped me, haha). While it is true that if you do smart effective work all day, you’ll get a lot more done than someone who does that for 2 hours, it really depends on the kind of work. If it’s something you could do in your sleep, and doesn’t necessarily require creativity or inspiration, then sure. Hammering in nails for 14 hours will build a railroad faster than doing “smart, effective” hammering for 4 hours a day. No doubt about that.

However, more often than not, success today requires inspiration and creativity — writing and programming are two obvious examples. I’m sure Steve and any other programmer can relate to the experience of working on a project for so long that your mind is shot and you’re almost making the code worse, haha. With exhaustion comes hasty, sloppy, and buggy code which takes longer to fix than it would have to write well the first time. I can’t speak to writing, but I’d imagine there’s a similar phenomenon.

The mind needs time to rest, recharge, and, especially, play. The importance of play cannot be underestimated. There was a case study on about a dozen serial killers that found that every single one of them grew up in situation in which they were not able to play for whatever reason (abusive parents, having to work due to poverty, etc). The urge to play comes from the center of the brain where emotions like fear and anger come from. Play is a *survival instinct*. People often dismiss it and trivial and unimportant, but without it, we wouldn’t be human in a very literal sense.

My point is, if you never give your brain unstructured time to relax and be in the moment and explore and… yes, play! you will soon run out of creative energy and inspiration. Where do you think creativity comes from? You don’t lick it off the rocks.. It’s the ability to combine together existing ideas from a multitude of places to the point where the origin of those ideas is not even traceable by the thinker (see Cryptomnesia).

So back to Stephen’s point, it’s about balance. You need to listen to your body, and when it tells you it’s exhausted and needs sleep, maybe you should get some sleep. That’s all I’m trying to say.

I miss hanging out with both of you! I hope we can see each other sometime soon. Take care.

I think you might be on the wrong path. If YOU want to be remembered, I definitely think you should choose family. If you devote yourself to your family you will be remembered quite long by your successors. In public you have very little chance to be remembered, especially in business. So better be a politician but not just a politician but a president of the US, and a damned good one, who really understands the needs of his time and acts wisely and unselfishly.

If you really want to have an impact, let go of your ego, be open and dedicate yourself to a cause. You have a greater chance to reach immortality in the way you chose.

In business I think family is a huge advantage . You can learn much from managing your family that is very important in business management (selflessness, spending quality time, planning, listening, respect for advice, your self development is in a more whole way) and pay a smaller price than you would in business. And having children is not for the later stages of your life, simply because it contributes more to your personal development in your 20-s and 30-s than in your 30-s and 40-s.

In business there are a lot of difficulties to be fighting for being remembered:
1.) To be excellent at your business and excellent at building a self renewing and reproducing organization.
2.) Succession is of most importance, you have to prepare to be replaced
3.) You have to (here still) find a cause or ideology to stand for
4.) Focus on what you’re good at and skip everything else. Learn what you say no to, and what you do not do
5.) Your company has to stand for ages and I mean it.

And having all the above is still does not guarantee your success of being remembered.
But I am sure that building your own business can be fun (I know that), but be very careful setting your goals because you might reach them!

just let love be