“I stopped swimming upstream.”

Someone told me this in a recent conversation and it’s stuck with me.

Swimming upstream means trying to get something done when everything around you is heading in a different direction. It’s about convincing people when they’re stuck in their ways. About stressing to find a shortcut when you’re stuck in traffic.

Swimming upstream is like banging your head against a brick wall.

We take on very difficult challenges as part of startup life - starting at the very top with the mission. There’s no reason we should bring that level of challenge into every choice. In the day to day, it makes sense to move onto the next challenge, the next company, or the next candidate. Stop swimming upstream.