Thoughts after being fired for the first time

Recently, I wrapped up my time at BlindPay, a YC-backed fintech built on stablecoins. It was intense: I built a lot of great things, had fun, learned a ton, and lived the best chapter of my career so far. It felt like I worked two years in one. But it came to an end. I was fired, and now that things have settled, these are some of the things that went through my mind.

Work

• Sometimes it's not only on you, but the part that's on you is the only part you can work on.
• Worse than having a job is not having one.
• Having responsibilities gives my life structure and keeps me moving, as long as they don't take it over.
• I'm really happy with my career. Even if one day I stop coding for a living, I still want to code in my spare time.
• If I become a founder (and I probably will), I need to make sure I don't become the people I judge. Learning from other people's mistakes and wins is wise.

Money

• Letting my financial life depend on someone else's decision is a huge mistake.
• Having only one source of income is far from ideal.
• Money is just a piece of paper, but saving enough while still living your life, finding that balance, matters.
• Keep my cost of living low: ideally 30% of what I earn, and 50% at most (I already knew this, but this reinforced it).
• Having debts isn't that deep; it's actually okay. I've always been poor, and there's nothing poor people fear more than debt.

Me

• Doing only what I want, with all the free time I want, is paradise, but only if I'm healthy. Otherwise it can easily become hell (it's pretty easy to throw your life away while feeling guilty about it).
• Uncertainty is good, even if it's torture sometimes. It's cool to be out of my comfort zone.
• I understood more about what I really value in life.
• I'm still learning from it, but life humbled me, and I know my place in it better now.
• I should stop tying my value as a person to my value as a professional. Nobody should think that way.
• It's okay to fail.
• I need, and want, to fail more.
• It's not over until I win (I always knew this one too).