the million dollar bet

Today during my call to my mom to wish her a happy birthday, I made a bet with her that if I can make a million dollars this year, she will retire.

It’s been a pressure point for the past 6-7 years or so that my mom has been working crazy hours. She basically works 5am - 11pm Monday - Friday.

Even when we’re on vacation in Hawaii or China, my mom wakes up early ON PTO before everyone in the family wakes up to grind out emails.

My mom has the most incredible work ethic and dedication to work that I have ever seen in my life. It is honestly impressive how much she cares for her job, but between sleep and her job, there’s not much time for her at all. So that’s why I made that bet with my mom, I want to give her a signal that it’s time to hang her jersey in the rafters and to start focusing on herself.

It’s a crazy bet because for the past couple years, I’ve made a grand total of $94 as a solo dev/entrepreneur.

But like I mentioned in my previous post hello world, I really feel like 2026 is going to be my year.

My mom has always taught me these things: be healthy, try my best, be safe, and most importantly don’t be lazy. She’s never cared whether I’m a success or a loser.

But with a mom like this, I know I’ll always be a winner.

So we’ll see if my best can make my mom retire in the next 365 days.

• winston