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Comment by jansho | Hacker News Reader

Your posts always resonate with me, thank you, but I particularly need to hear this one. I will not call myself exceptional, but I often find fitting in almost impossible. Finding a niche and owning it is then survival! Although I'm very aware of the high failure rate with startups, I can't help but keep believing that I can do this thing. Sometimes though I am torn by guilt, that I'm such a snowflake, but I don't know, one thing I know for sure is that if I don't give it a shot, I will regret for the rest of my life. And that is much more unbearable.

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It might help to think of yourself as enriching the diverse ecosystem of humans in order to enhance life for all. In nature, monocultures are horribly vulnerable to disease and other problems. In contrast, diverse ecosystems mean that one creature's wastes are another's nutrients and many creatures can co-exist because they aren't direct competitors. They need inherently different things.

Taking up some niche no one else wants means you aren't in competition with others and you add life to spaces that would otherwise be dead. There is zero reason humans should all strive to fit the same mold and many reasons to be horrified by the idea.

> In contrast, diverse ecosystems mean that one creatures wastes are another's nutrients

Wow. This is so insightful. When applying this lense to one's failures or struggles or disappointments... this really clicked with me to put it all in perspective. Thank you!

"Exceptional" does not always have to mean "excellent," if you are worried about being immodest. It can also mean - and was originally meant to mean - irregular, not typical.

So use it, if it fits!

Find a cofounder. Someone you respect and trust, who will fill the gaps in the skills outside your niche. The great startup ideas that can be built by one person, no matter how talented, are largely taken now imo. But for a duo or team, the sky is the limit, because each can retreat to their niche when necessary and know the world will keep going.

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