I am in the center, wearing homemade clothes and ninja weapons.
I grew up in a middle class family on the outskirts of Copenhagen. If we lived somewhere outside of Scandinavia, then obviously we would belong to the lower class, but the social protection and assistance systems of Denmark really try to help.
Author: David Heinemeyer Hansson (DHH) - creator of Ruby on Rails, founder and technical director of Basecamp, best-selling author of REWORK and REMOTE,
race car driver
24 Hours of Le Mans .
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Translation: Julia Khaitova
But do not worry: this is not a story from the series "from rags to riches". I can not stand all these stories "I have achieved everything myself." The position that I occupy now, I achieved thanks to the state support of single mothers, social assistance to children, education and even financial assistance. I grew up in a house built under a social housing improvement program from AAB, the housing and social construction fund. And my mother was a real sorceress when we could barely make ends meet (she could ride the extra 15 minutes on a bicycle to find milk at the lowest price).
I learned two lessons. First, while you are busy meeting basic needs, your life experience is hardly related to the attributes of success. Not everything was in roses and cookies, but I had a wonderful childhood. Second, I did not learn to appreciate the first lesson, until I saw the other side of the coin. And a little about that.
Publication support is the Edison company, which develops an application for the design of prefabricated houses , as well as writes software for dispatching heavy trucks on a coal mine .
I remember playing with my brother in “What would you do if you won a million crowns?”. We could think for eternity what money would be spent on. Comparing different options and features. Just imagine that you do not have to save a whole year to buy a Commodore 64. Or every year you can go abroad for a holiday. Or even buy a car for a family! (Our dreams were to the skies).
The basic premise was the thought of how much better life would be if we were free from the weekly limit. Yes, everything would be great if only I could ...
The thought of this game has always been on the shutters of the mind. And there have always been more things that I would like to do myself, rather than buying these things. And not that attempts to achieve success were some kind of struggle or duty. I was lucky to be born in Denmark, I was provided with the most necessary. And the sale of pirated software discs through the
elite BBS brought some modest splendor.
Electronic Confusion BBS ASCII of 1995
But I always wanted more, and believed that some more money would be the turning point for eternal good. The dream of the Amiga 1200, then the purchase, and then the thought that I really needed the Amiga 4000. And this repeating line seemed endless, no matter how many times I tried to reach the goal.
Then, in 2006, it happened again. Jeff Bezos became interested in Basecamp, and Jason and I sold him a smaller, without any influence, part of shares of several million each. (Basecamp was self-financing and made a profit from the very beginning, so it was not necessary to contribute money for development).
I became a millionaire!
I remember the weeks that led to the day when my accounts suddenly increased. They were scary. I stood on the threshold of the Dream. A lifetime of expectations about how great it will be to become a millionaire. I can buy all the computers and all the cameras I have ever wanted, and even the car I dreamed of!
The other pillar of this dream was to never work again. As if eternal rest could provide me with the bliss I have long craved. I thought so much about it. I calculated everything: if I put all the money in stocks and bonds, then I can live a comfortable life, if not wasteful, without lifting a finger.
The euphoria that I felt then lasted all day. And until the end of the week I was in high spirits.
***
Then a shadow of doubt crept into my mind. What? Why has the world not changed? Does it even work?
Do not get me wrong, of course, there is some satisfaction in not looking at the price of food in a restaurant (although I still pay attention to it). It’s like a good movie that was advertised, and it’s almost not possible not to be disappointed after a long-awaited viewing. Expectations, not results, govern happiness.
I have hardly touched money for the last couple of months. Yes, of course, I bought a big TV and a bunch of DVDs that I hope to use, but it wasn’t as if I couldn’t. And only by the end of last year, I decided to invest in some kind of cliché: yellow Lamborghini! This is all wonderful and wonderful, but it does not bring satisfaction.
Programming Ruby, creating Basecamp, writing for Signal v Noise, taking photos, and enjoying learning and breathing is what my preferred lifestyle has provided me in advance.
And I began to appreciate more the stability and tranquility, which were for me the source of real happiness all this time. As if I threw back the curtain from the dream of becoming a millionaire and realized, to my surprise, that I already had all the things. It was equally shocking and reverent, but very encouraging.
Mostly due to the fact that these things are impossible to lose. If there was any shock, I could fall from my mountain of money and be where I started. Turn up that 450 square foot flat in Copenhagen. But my curiosity and interests are unchanged. My hobbies are constant. I have come a long way and I can say that both its ends are not only suitable for life, but also pleasant. This was a revelation.
It's funny, because I remember how rich people told me that. Not necessarily personally, with the help of various quotes or interviews. And I remember, as I always thought: “yes, that is easy for you to say, you are rich”. I think that many who are reading this now feel the same. This is naturally just an instinctive reaction.
I think, simply because it is unpleasant to think that everything is just like that. After all, the opinion of the numbers indicating the amount of money in the account, the size of the TV, the car in the garage or not complement me. And everyone should figure it out on their own.
And I understand that even the fact that I can use this excuse is an advantage. I never went to bed hungry. I was never threatened with a pistol. I never worried about getting the minimum payout like a seller in a store. Denmark’s programs saved me from this — they provided me with the basics of security.
And I do not even pretend that I know such difficulties. I can only talk about personal experience. I share experiences with people who already have something, but who are eager to be behind the curtain. Some may even give up manners, politeness, honor, and even humanity for the sake of it.
We, people, quickly get used to the things around us. Ringing does not last long. Until you realize that the next step is not there, calmly, this siren will ring.
“We get the best things in the world for free. Well, those that follow are very expensive. ”- Coco Chanel.
This quote is true, but I will add that the difference between the best and the second most important is much greater than the difference between the second and most important. This is not a linear scale.
If you have already provided yourself with basic things, then little is left that would cost to postpone life. You have already found or at least seen the best things (whether you know it or not).
Keep this in mind.