As a Founder and CEO of Gusher, a Venture Capital disruptor, and a company creator, Chris Joyce has become a LinkedIn user extraordinaire! By using video, text, and photos, he uses his real-life experiences to encourage startup founders to go for their dreams.
A short while back he talked on LinkedIn about an encounter with his father —and it stuck with me as I experienced a similar hospital situation recently with my own incredible stepfather. This might ring true for you too:
“I got a call from the hospital saying my father was dying and only had a few days to live,” said Chris. “So I rushed down to New Orleans. Here’s what happened:
One: the easy path ain’t easy and it’s filled with regrets but don’t take it.
Two: coffee is apparently the elixir of life.
And Three: you ain’t dead till you’re dead.
Chris Joyce
“Day One: all my dad spoke about was his regrets, a life full of them, a life taking the easy path —which was the wrong path. He also said he didn’t think he was dying, and with doctors, 1+1 doesn’t always equal 2 — meaning doctors are always right — but nevertheless he felt really bad.
“Day Two: was a complete repeat of Day One, except this time he said he wasn’t sure he was going to make it after all.
“Day Three: was a repeat of another Day One except this time he said he wasn’t afraid of death. He talked about coming full circle in 72 hours — it’s kind of freaky to see that happen.
“Therefore he looked really bad, and I thought he was going to die then and there (he had not been drinking or eating anything). And if you’ve ever smelled death, that room was filled with it. I asked him if he wanted a cup of coffee and he looked at me like this from his bed, thought about it for a second, and whispered ‘yes, black with two sugars.
“By just drinking a cuppa coffee — I kid you not — everything started to change. He started drinking again, he started eating, his body started to turn on again, his brain starts to function again. Crazy stuff for the next week and a half — I simply helped him eat and drink. Then I talked to the doctor and said, ‘hey, should I stay or should I go’? Because it doesn’t look to me like he’s going to be dying anytime soon, and my father also seems really tired of me being there all the time!
“The doctor said to me he just had a conversation with my dad that went like this (verbatim):
“Mr. Joyce, you don’t have much time to live. At which point my dad sat up, opened a can of Coke, drank it, and said ‘I’m just getting started.
“So the doctor told me to go home! So what did the Big Easy teach me this time?
One: the easy path ain’t easy and it’s filled with regrets but don’t take it.
Two: coffee is apparently the elixir of life.
And Three: you ain’t dead till you’re dead.
“I told him I was going to make a video about this because apparently he’s just getting started and so should you. Take action right this second! Because you have a limited number of them.”
Oh — and by the way, Chris wants you to know you can start your startup at www.gusher.co.
(Gusher is the simple way to create your startup without the need for investors or capital.)
