Identity Theft or Donation

So much is said about startup and entrepreneurship. Especially if you run in the crowds I run in. Well...ran in. And, as you'd expect, most of it is geared toward founders. They are the ingenues, the mavericks, the risk-takers, and ultimately the visionaries that expand our thinking, change our perspectives, and get us to buy a new widget we didn't know we needed. Compelling stuff. The energy of all that is addicting - which probably explains why I am in it. And I'm in it as employee number two.
Historically, I haven't seen a whole lot about employees number 1, 2, or 3. And I can attest to the probability that it's because the first onboard are 100% full-throttle, 24/7. They, *clears throat*, we completely immerse ourselves in vision: eat, drink, breathe, sleep that new startup. We are the first investors, the evangelizers, the swiss army knives, and ultimately the catalysts that drive progress, refine process, and fuel innovation.
As an early investor with my time and opportunity cost, I think that I, too, am a maverick and a risk-taker. The visionary has the benefit of being inside his or her own head where nothing is lost in translation and passion and capability are known quantities. They have complete information. That handful of first employees must see the founder's vision, bridge the chasms, and generally speaking, take a massive leap. It's a lot like founders betting on themselves; we, too, are betting that our contribution will be monumental enough to create something where there once was nothing. And because we're the types of people to take that leap? There are a lot of other assumptions that can be made about us as individuals, our ethos, and our work ethics.
All this to say: I, like so many before me, have completely submersed myself in a startup. I eat, drink, breathe, and sleep potential and vision. And I'm thriving as part of something magical. I have also discovered that being submersed, even in magic, still requires coming up for air sometimes: not because I need it but because I miss it. The boundaries around, between, and throughout my personal identity and the all-encompassing beauty of the Borg are blurry because I go all in. Because I go hard in the paint. Because I'm the type of person to be employee number 2.
I have let slip some of the relationships I cherish most - big thinkers grounded in the startup community at large. I trust that as I get better at coming up for air, they will understand because they've been here before. And that maybe they've missed me, too.