I live a rather simple life. I’m very passionate about a few things. I  completely ignore the others. Though I enjoy things such as writing, music, good cuisine very much, the one thing that has driven me most of my life is my unconditional love for computers and what can be done with them.

Most people do not realize it, but the life of an entrepreneur is a very lonely one. It is one where you get up every day, to mostly fail. And get up again. Every penny you spend, you spend with caution. You might be the CEO, your standard of living will likely be more akin to that of a student. And the only thing that keeps you going is your love for the idea.

There is a saying: “you don’t just love your children, you fall in love with them”. I believe every entrepreneur feels the same with their business. That is why you keep getting up and learning and adapting.

Just yesterday, I accomplished one of my childhood dreams. I went to see a band that was dissolved 10 years ago, which was very important to me. They came back for one gig, and I saw them. I had other childhood dreams too; going to Japan and visiting Akihabara, going to Moscow, building a huuuuge video game library, creating a nice Internet company (I’m working on that one).

Most of the talks I hear in Finland, where we’re trying to create an ecosystem, are about how you should find focus, find a business model, a great team, etc. Most people ignore the value of passion.

The main reason that’s kept me going through MySites, and even my earlier projects, the reason I moved to Finland, the reason I got into a good business school, is the same. It was to achieve it, to not live in regret, and because of plain rage that drove me to prove people wrong. Most of the good things that I got in life came after some people told me it was impossible.

Don’t forget about your passion. Dare to dream. Dare to do whatever you’ve set for yourself. Because that is the most rewarding thing in life.