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Comment by ikiris | Hacker News Reader

Ahh yes, classic HN: "People only succeed/work hard if their only other option is death"

My wife and I are starting to test this theory. We are putting our kid in an expensive school, then starting a business to support our lifestyle. If we fail, our kid’ll have to go to a cheaper school and we’d have lost a few years of school fees. If we succeed, yay.

By the time, our are faced with the choice, our kid will be embedded in school so ripping them out of it is going to be a tough choice.

So, yeah, we’re essentially burning our boats and fighting to survive.

Don't live above your means because an unexpected event is likely to happen. Plus creating a situation where all peers are rich and only your kid is not doesn't open the doors to future success compared to if they were at their peers lifestyle level.

We grappled with this too but in the end, our decision was influenced by our parents choosing to live beyond their means to put us through good schools and college. If they could grit their teeth and sacrifice for us, we can do the same for the next generation.

Our choice us somewhat made easier because we didn’t like any of the schools near us except this one. The others were focused on exams/results and were larger in size so felt more “corporate”.

I too have made this choice with my family.. and its one hell of a positive force-factor. My mom immigrated from Kiev, with nothing and a dream for her son to have a better life in NYC. Im now taking the same risks as a 5-time entrepreneur..now living in Buenos Aires as a single dad. Enjoy the ride - its short - live your dream - steer your ship or it will be steered for you.

More power to both of us!

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