My first memory comes from the year 1999. People told me I was going to change the world. I don’t think people realized at the time how much of a child I was. A lot of time, money and faith was put into my abilities. I was told to deliver pet supplies, manage groceries, handle rewards programs and do about a thousand other things that felt completely out of reach.
I couldn’t live up to the expectations, and in 2001 I collapsed. A lot of people were upset with me, but the truth is that it was a relief. I had been unable to live up to the expectations of my investors and had no desire to. I had been stretched too thin and asked to carry too much weight. And when it was finally all over, despite the harsh criticism, I felt better. I could breathe. I could be myself.
The author David Vorick is the co-founder and lead developer of Skynet, an application platform that serves as a…