Fog Clears Through Motion

Shaan Puri's father shared wisdom that profoundly shaped his approach to life decisions: sometimes life is about motion, not direction. When you're standing on a foggy beach trying to find paradise, you have two choices—wait for the fog to clear so you can see the right direction, or start paddling in your crappy boat. Once you're in motion, it's actually easier to change direction because you have momentum.

Key Points:

• Motion Over Direction:

  • Don't wait for perfect clarity before taking action
  • Standing still waiting for the fog to clear is often the wrong strategy
  • Once you're moving, changing course is much easier than starting from zero
  • Momentum allows you to pivot when you discover better opportunities

• The Sushi Restaurant Decision:

  • Shaan wanted to quit his job to start a sushi restaurant (inspired by Chipotle's model)
  • Most people thought it was silly, but his father supported it—not because it was a good idea, but because of the motion it represented
  • His dad observed: "You're so switched on now. You never used to wake up, you never used to have this drive, this motivation, this burst of energy"
  • The energy and skill development mattered more than the specific direction

• The Inertia Problem:

  • After six years at Bebo, Shaan's friend confronted him: "I don't get what you're doing"
  • Despite having paradise on paper (nicest office, private chef, masseuse, blank check funding, smart team), something was off
  • His friend introduced the concept: "Inertia's a bitch—you will keep doing it because you're already doing it"
  • The Thought Experiment: "If the lab closed tomorrow, would you call these same people and say 'let's do this same thing'?"
  • Shaan's answer was no—he liked the people but wouldn't work on that project
  • He was only doing it because he was already doing it, not because it was the best opportunity

• Recognizing When to Change Direction:

  • Six years, ten different products—lots of pivots but no clear winner
  • The current project wasn't going to obviously hit or obviously fail—it was just "okay"
  • Realized he came in wanting one thing but was now doing something completely different
  • Wouldn't choose this path if starting fresh—a clear sign it was time to sell or end the company

• The Value of External Perspective:

  • Sometimes you need that external force to break inertia
  • A good friend asking "I don't get it" can be the resistance needed to stop motion in the wrong direction
  • Inner voice vs. external perception: everything looked great from outside, but internally it wasn't right