Not About the Money
English summary available ↓
A rare half day off: after work my wife and I sneaked out to watch F1 The Movie. One scene stayed with me. Someone asks the lead character why he races, and he smiles: not about the money. He asks others the same question. Others say money and fame, or proving themselves. Later he explains that in the car everything feels calm, nobody can catch him, and it feels like flying. He came back not for a title or to prove anything, but to find that focus and freedom again. After the movie I asked my wife: why do I run a business? At first the answer was practical: food on the table and small kids to raise. Later came shareholders to create value for, a team to look after, and customers whose praise pushes us to keep delivering. All correct, but when real trouble comes, these reasons make me doubt everything. Steve Jobs once said in an interview that what he was best at was finding talented people and making things with them. He was obsessed with building things, as Brad Pitt's character is with racing. Most of real life can't avoid money. My answer now: when something doesn't look right to me, I want to use a business to voice a different opinion to the world. Life has plenty of things we can't choose, and I hope one day I can say it like Brad Pitt: not about the money.
Read full English version →难得半日闲，今天和太太放工后蛇去看了《F1 The Movie》。
电影中有许多值得回味的细节，但有一幕特别打动我。
有人问主角：「为什么要赛车？」
他笑笑地回答：
"Not about the money."
电影里，他也问了身边的人类似问题：
第二男主角回答：「为了钱，为了名气。」
女主角回答：「为了证明自己可以，给前夫、老板、教授看。」
到了后面，女主角再次问主角：
「为什么赛车？」
主角说道：
「当我坐在车里，一切都感到平静，没有人能抓住我，那一刻，我仿佛正在飞翔。」
那是一种纯粹的状态。有运动的人都知道，这就是「心流」。
当全神贯注时，时间与杂念都消失，只剩下人和目标之间的联系。
他很清楚，自己回来不是为了冠军，也不是为了证明什么，而是为了找回那一刻的专注与自由。
看完电影，我也问了太太：「为什么创业？」
仔细想想，刚开始的答案很现实：为了三餐温饱，孩子还小，要养家糊口。有多余的钱或许可以买块好表，换辆跑车。
后来有了股东，要创造价值；有了团队，要让愿意跟随自己的人过得更好；有了顾客，顾客的好评鞭策，要持续交付好东西。
听起来都「对」。
但当真正遇到困难时，这些理由往往让我怀疑人生。
我记得一个 Steve Jobs 的访谈里问到类似问题，他提到：
"I'm best at doing is finding a group of talented people and making things with them. I want to make things."
他痴迷于「build things」，就像 Brad Pitt 在电影中痴迷赛车。那是一种纯粹的痴迷。
而现实生活中，绝大多数事情都绕不开「钱」。当 Brad Pitt 开着那辆破旧的 Van，潇洒地说出：「Not about the money.」那一刻，我特别羡慕。
那么，现在我的答案是什么？
我发现其实就是看到一些事情「不顺眼」，然后我想用创业的方式，对这个世界提出不同的意见。
生活已经有太多不得已。 希望有一天， 我也能像电影里 Brad Pitt 一样， 潇洒地说出那句：
Not About the Money.