Why did I do the things I did?

I can see that a lot of people question my sanity looking at certain things I do.

Why did I not apply for a lucrative telecom job when I graduated? Why did I give up a posh financial analyst post to take on a meekly software development job? Why did I quit that job too and stayed at home reading books? Why did I say no to a lead interview and cut my chance in a promotion? Why did I choose tech track when I have a MBA?

Everything above has a common answer. But it's not very easy to put it into words. So when people ask why and why, I find it very much easier to skip the questions.

When I saw this Foreword in "The Passionate Programmer", I found my answer put into words by someone else.

I believe that everyone has remarkable in them but that it takes finding something they truly care about to draw it out. You can’t be remarkable if you don’t love your environment, your tools, and your domain.
Before I had my spark lit with 37signals and Ruby on Rails, I went through a series of jobs and gigs that certainly wouldn’t fit the bill as remarkable. I was treading water and just letting one day eat the next.
Before I knew it, six months were gone, and I didn’t have anything to show for it.

That’s a terrible feeling of regret. I hate the feeling that my presence doesn’t really matter and that the world would have been exactly no different in a meaningful way if my work hadn’t been done. To become remarkable, you have to believe that you’re making a significant dent in the universe.

When I wasn’t making a dent at work, it spilled over to my personal life too. When I didn’t feel like I was having an impact during office hours, it was that much harder to muster the effort to have an impact afterward.

To me, leading a remarkable career is the best way I know to kick start that same desire for leading a remarkable life—one where you don’t just become a better and more valuable worker, but you become a better human too.

That’s why this book is so important. It’s not just about making better widgets and feeling secure in your job. It’s just as much about developing the skills and sensibilities for leading a more rewarding life filled with many remarkable aspects, with work just being one of them.

—David Heinemeier Hansson, Creator of Ruby on Rails and partner in 37signals