I'm a 36-year-old CEO who sold my first startup for $1 billion. Here's what I've learned this past decade.

Big things take time to succeed at.

You are not an exception. Focus on your one superpower and be excellent at that, and the universe will take care of the rest.

Ten years ago we had a small startup called Justin.tv. I thought if I could just make a little money I'd be set. Thus followed a decade of trying to raise more money, achieve skyrocketing valuations, start bigger because ... it never ends.

After hitting many of the goals I set for myself, some beyond the wildest dreams I had 10 years ago, the satisfaction never lasted. It was there in the beginning, but never created a permanent state change.

I thought my anxiety and fear was situational, but it turns out I'd just map the same level of fears on to whatever difficult experiences I was going through at any given time.

I tried to escape from my fear lots of ways (alcohol, travel, TV). None of those methods delivered anything other than temporary distraction. I learned instead that meditation is key to sitting with your fear and accepting it.

All my life I longed to connect meaningfully to others, but felt I didn't know how. Instead I tried to be successful to attract other people to me. But that's not necessary: I've learned to start with vulnerability and curiosity.

Nothing else.

I'm curious, excited, and open for what comes in the 2020s.