Dear Theo
Pressure is a Privilege
Dear Theo,
Ah, the founder leap—it's an exhilarating roller coaster. The highs feel like nothing else. Pure nirvana! Better than heroin (I think). But the lows? They can pull just as hard in the other direction—straight into the valley of disillusionment.
There’s the constant battle with self-doubt. The late-night anxiety about burn. The creeping question: Will I have enough to eat? How long is my personal runway?
The stress is real. But don’t forget—it pales in comparison to the financial stress billions face every day. You should know. You’re from Haiti.
The pressure is a privilege.
It’s a privilege to wake up in Williamsburg with your pup at your feet.
It’s a privilege not to be in a war zone, not to be under siege, or trapped in a failed state like the one Haiti has become.
It’s a privilege to have a ramp, a chance to chase a dream, backed by a prestigious Ivy League institution, Columbia University.
It’s a privilege to still have your parents alive, supporting you, even if they think you're unemployed and not an entrepreneur.
The pressure you feel?
That’s the price. That’s what fuels the drive.
And it means you're still in the game.
Like most things in life, you can’t carry the pressure alone.
Lean into your faith. Hold on to that humble conviction that you will make it. That quiet confidence—the one that can’t be calculated, can’t be modeled, can’t be factored into the odds.
Find your tribe. Find a therapist.
Find your why.
Because when you're in the depths—when the silence is deafening and the wins are far from sight—you need something stronger than logic to hold onto.
And that’s where it all starts to turn. When momentum shifts and you can see at the mountaintop again. You will remember:
The pressure is a privilege!
Yours Truly,
Theodore Crown (TC)
Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop.
And I don't mind.
MLK