Life is a mountain range. From every peak the view is different. But you can't get to another peak if you always want to go up. You have to be willing to go down or otherwise you get stuck on one peak and you only see one view Ping Fu in What I've learnt

...it was an extremely useful exercise. It made us think through issues we would have otherwise glossed over, and helped us stay focused when shiny new things could have led us astray. As Eisenhower famously said: “plans are nothing, but planning is indispensable.” Chris Dixon in Plans are nothing, but planning is indispensable

Life’s not about getting stuff done, it’s about getting the right stuff done. It doesn’t matter how productive you are if the ideas you’re building on don’t represent the best you have to offer. And the best you have to offer rarely ever comes when you’re filling every nook and cranny of mind-space, every waking moment of every day. From the post Embrace the Space

No start-up works out exactly as imagined. So it's important to go into it understanding that you're there to learn. From the Inc article The right way to approach a startup

What if you started hustling, moving, and shaking today as if there was no guarantee of tomorrow? Imagine what you would do. Imagine what you could accomplish. From the post You don't have to be rich to be an entrepreneur

If you commit to doing a simple marketing item just once each day, at the end of the year you've built a mountain. Seth Godin in the post The simple power of one a day and how they add up and can change things.

Why not run for the train? Because another train will be along shortly. Such is the nature of trains. Running will cause you to miss everything between you and your object, and more often than not leave you disappointed and out of breath. From the Dorian Taylor post La Forme de flaner about trusting in serendipity and investing in a schedule.

So go ahead and act as if your decisions are temporary. Because they are. Be bold, make mistakes, learn a lesson and fix what doesn't work. Seth Godin in Tatoo thinking

If you really deeply care about something, you will do it. You will do it without needing a list or a system or a reminder. No, your brain will not feel cluttered by the burden of having to remember it. Vivek Haldar in his post Productivity porn

The problem set will always become harder, and you want to bring on people that can do the future job, not just the work that exists today.” Aaron Levie, Box, quoted in the Mashable article What Founders Wish They Knew Before Starting Companies

Some days are thrilling, and others are gut-wrenching. In the end, it’s worth it. Not easy. But worth it. Garett Dimon talking about his journey of Being a Solo Founder of a 24x7 Hosted Web Application

By asking and answering “why” five times, we can get to the real cause of the problem, which is often hidden behind more obvious symptoms. - Eric Ries quoted in the Co.Design article To Get To The Root Of A Hard Problem, Just Ask “Why” Five Times

In the end, it always comes down to passion. A good idea may define a startup, but passion is what defines an entrepreneur and passion should be what drives every freelancer. From the Toronto Standard article Redefining Startups: In The Future, Everyone Will Be An Entrepreneur