One of the biggest things Neithan and I have done over the past couple of years
is find the courage to burn bridges.
When we left the academe to focus fully on Pixelzero,
it wasn’t just a random career shift.
It was a deliberate decision to leave an environment we knew
was holding us back from the life we wanted.
For years, we spent our time making other people’s plans and dreams come true —
at the expense of our own.
It became clear: we were losing ourselves.
Our bodies were giving us signs — styes, boils, rashes, weight gain, fatigue.
The emotions were messy — anger, pride, discomfort.
We were exhausted, physically and mentally.
We had no time, and still no money.
We were tired. And we felt ugly.
So we made a choice.
A big one.
And part of that choice was to burn bridges.
Mostly out of respect for the life we wanted to claim.
Partly out of spite.
Sometimes, spite saves you when exhaustion has already eaten up everything else.
What’s changed since then?
The days look and feel very different now.
We’re living the life we once only promised ourselves — with our full attention.
We still work, but there’s finally space for life.
Random family dates. Unplanned meetups.
Full-day Dota weekends. Personal projects.
Which is how it should be, right?
You work to live.
Not live to work (for others).
Flying is impossible when you’re still carrying the weight of places that drag you down.
And your life becomes other people’s ammo if you let it — leaving nothing for yourself.
Burning rotten bridges gives you the space to fly.
It’s hard. It takes courage. But if you know it’s the right thing to do, it’s worth it.
And if it ever comes to that choice again?
We’ll gladly light the match and start the fire.
