A lot of people will tell you: “Just follow your passion.”

Do more of what you like.
That’s the key to success, right?

Wrong.

I’ve bootstrapped my business to six figures ARR. And let me tell you: passion is not enough. Not even close.

But FIRST

If you are new, welcome to OCE’s weekly newsletter curated for the ambitious youth…here are some articles you missed from previous weeks:

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Why No One Successful Wants to Mentor You

Best tools for building your passion project

The Future Belongs to Borderless Thinkers

When you’re a founder, you don’t just get to do the fun part.

You’re the engineer, the sales rep, the lawyer, the accountant. You’re also the janitor, the errand runner, the one carrying boxes when no one else will.

Sure, maybe you love storytelling. Great. But building something meaningful isn’t just stories—it’s long nights, endless decisions, things you hate doing (like crunching numbers on a spreadsheet) but have to get done. And it’s often lonely.

Here’s the truth: success is less about what you like and more about how much struggle you can handle.

I once read that to become truly great, you need to become a masochist. Not in the weird way—but in the sense that you have to learn to enjoy suffering. To see pain and struggle as just part of the journey.

Think about it:

A muscle only grows after it breaks.
A seed only becomes a tree after it cracks open.
Growth always comes with pain.

So why would you expect building a business, community, or life you love to feel any different?

Most people quit because they only want to do the fun parts. They chase passion, but run away from pain.

The winners? They train themselves to love the pain.

They don’t just tolerate early mornings, setbacks, or being underestimated. They lean into it. They understand that pain is the entry ticket to building anything that lasts.

So no—doing what you like is not enough.
If you want to win, learn to do what’s difficult. Learn to enjoy it.

That’s the difference between dabbling in your passion and actually building out your dream.

Like what you read? Share with friends!

PS. This summer, we are going to tackle pressing global issues and drive innovation in regions (such as your own community) where it is needed the most. Want in?

We run a summer cohort for ambitious youth (high school and undergrads) to work directly with world-class founders while learning from Silicon Valley leaders.

OCE Summer Cohort

You can also explore purposeful opportunities through our Impact Internship Opportunities Database.

Get Curious.

Lena

https://www.openclassroomexperience.com/