"Our world is one of second chances, of comebacks and turn arounds." So true. It seems that every major success story had a dark period when things weren't going well. The comeback may be more the rule than the exception.
I forget who said it (it might have even been pg, too lazy to google atm) but there are a lot of situations that are defined by failures and where it's utterly important to never fail and to avoid any elements of weakness (school, some corporate environments, etc.), however in life (and especially in entrepreneurship) it's the rare successes that define you, not the failures.
"If you want to be successful you have to live on 3 hours or 2 hours of sleep" ... "stay up for 3 days" ... "forget to eat" ... "sleep is for those people who are broke"
I hope nobody on my team follows this advice. :)
I believe he's deliberately saying these things to shock the kids he's talking to into listening carefully. By challenging their assumptions about what it takes to succeed, he's hoping to get them to change their behavior. Maybe they sleep 7 hours instead of 10 + naps and spend 2 out of 3 of those extra hours doing productive work. That could make a really big difference in their lives.
Great post Jason. Sometimes we just need to reflect in moments of despair and think about life and the meaning of it all. We are all destined to die and nothing is guaranteed. Our lives can be cut short at any moment. Nothing else matters but now.