The Silicon Valley show has been on for five seasons already. I watched them all, and I must say that I liked season 5 the most. For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it depicts a story about a group of coders working in the Silicon Valley, following their dreams, pushing through, and not giving up even in face of all adversities. The determination of the characters is admirable.
The lessons I found inspiring in the show are:
1. Not giving up or compromising on one’s vision.
2. When nothing goes according to plan A, B, …, Z, pick yourself up and carry on with another plan.
3. When the idea Richard has is not working out, he improves on that idea. He doesn’t give up or dismisses the whole concept, only grows the idea, which allows him to move his creation to another level.
4. When the money runs out, he doesn’t despair thinking to himself that he is a shitty programmer or worth nothing CEO. Despite his doubts and he has many, he carries on. He doesn’t switch careers or invest heaps amount of time in re-training. And that what would have happened if he lacked confidence in himself and his skills.
5.When the investor tries to take away control of his company he shows what he is made of and goes in an entirely different direction resulting in him coming on top.
6. Richard’s determination is inspiring; he is sticking to his beliefs and his ideas. People, especially nowadays, want instant results, an overnight success. Let’s be honest in here; it is never an overnight success and stories about them cause more harm than good.
I know this is a “fictional” TV show but it still carries the message we all should hear often and repeat to ourselves, especially when things don’t go according to plan. Following through, growing balls with each rejection, learning from each and every “no”, venturing outside our comfort zone, and having a tribe of people around when you’re down on your ass is what makes success happen.
Don’t give up; this world needs dreamers and if you have some free time, check out “Silicon Valley” if you haven’t seen it yet.