I always hated this question.

And I envied the other kids who always had the answer.

They knew exactly what they wanted in life.

So much confidence. So much conviction.

But me... I always felt like a mutt.

I wanted to be many things, but none of them ever really stood out to me.

I was always bouncing around... Different hobbies, changing interests, different careers, and more.

“Pat, what are you really passionate about?”

Deep down, this question haunted me.

I spent so much time thinking about it, that I never really gave myself the time to find the answer.

I was so obsessed with control. So worried about working on the wrong things.

That I never committed to anything.

It took me a long time to realize this all came from one thing: a deep fear of rejection.

"What would people think of me? What will they say?"

But I kept working on myself. And over time I discovered:

Failure is success. Rejection is progress.

I finally gave myself permission to fail.

And when I did this, I was able to answer this question for the first time in my life:

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

I want to build stuff.
I want to create products that people use.
I want to be an entrepreneur.

And within days, I came up with the idea for http://starterstory.com.

And you know what's even crazier...?

This idea for Starter Story... it had been in my head all along.

But my fear of failure. My fear of commitment. My obsession with the "perfect" business idea...

For years, it convinced me not to build it.

Once you give yourself permission to fail.

Then you're able to let go.

You become free.

And that's when your life actually begins.