Starting young is a double-edged sword
Sometimes it can make you. Othertimes, it can utterly break you
It all depends on whether you choose to reinvent yourself along the way or not
If you choose to remain constant, therefore slowing your velocity, then all your achievements, which you got at an earlier age when you were hailed as a prodigy, would mean nothing
Zilch
This actually reminds me of a quote: "A candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long."
For the longest time (even now), I've been deathly afraid of this quote
I am not a prodigy by any means. Though I wish I was, still, a part of me believes that I may have peaked too early
This thought makes me nauseous
Anyway, when I was in the 10th grade, I was a LinkedIn degenerate
In that span of time, I noticed so many people who were doing insanely well but managed to somehow destroy their future by becoming complacent
They were happy with their progress
They loved the high they got when they were invited to give talks, TEDx speeches, attend events, be a guest, or the Chief Guest at an event, or something similar
They got distracted by the fame
Sometimes I wish we had a speedometer & a navigation system to see the speed & direction we are going at
So much talent is ruined by peaking too early. Distracted by the lures of fame, slowing their rate of progress
You getting into a YC at the age of 18 would not matter at all if you end up making a shit company or don’t end up becoming a billionaire by 30-35
You cannot afford to slow down