Why I Created WERSTARS, A Movement To Save The Moments Of Our Lives

My name is Dave Golokhov and I’m the founder of WERSTARS. The concept and the creation of this endeavor was spurred by some lifestyle changes that I had to make in my life. There are three main reasons why I brought this to life:

To See My Story

We live for destinations. We can’t wait to grow up, graduate, move out, get a job, get married, have kids and retire. Those are important goals but life is what happens in between those goals.

As Ferris Bueller says “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”. That’s the way I live(d). I’m very ambitious and I would go from goal-to-goal, achieving different things, and I would never stop to appreciate the journey. I’d often forget about it too. I’d work really hard to achieve something and then once I got it, instead of savoring it, I would simply set the bar higher or move on to the next target.

What I eventually came to realize is that the happiness is in the journey, not only the destination. Now I focus on appreciating the moments.

To Appreciate The Moments

My mind is on a constant state of being productive. I’m very critical of myself. I’ve trained myself very well to see what’s missing. It’s a mechanism that I use to help myself improve because I believe we’re never finished products. But what I’ve learned is that a small dose of this quality guides me toward success, too much can be destructive.

I would open up social and see the cool things other people are doing and wonder why I wasn’t there. And then I’d read magazines and watch television, and see new cars and fancy watches and again be reminded of what’s missing in my life. And then I’d look over my shoulder and see someone with a nicer house, a better job and a better body. This was my default state: to look at my life, compare myself to others and see what’s missing.

As a result, my perception became reality. Instead of seeing all of the great things I did have, I would focus on what was missing. It took me a long time but I eventually realized that going down this road was a never-ending black hole that led to a lot of unproductive thoughts.

So I needed to create a tool that allowed me to see what I do have in my life. I need(ed) to see the glass-half-full and be reminded of the achievements, the moments, the relationships – the things that really shape who I am. Using WERSTARS regularly and seeing my moments became my gratitude journal. It fundamentally changed my mindset and rewired the way I look at things on a day-to-day basis.

To Be Remembered

I’ll share a sad secret with you: 100 years from now, I’ll be gone. Hard to believe, I know.

But that’s the third reason why I created WERSTARS: I want to leave a legacy. I don’t want my entire life to amount to a will and some wealth that’s left behind. When people ask who I was – whether it’s my future grandchildren or whoever else – I want them to be able to see my story. I want there to be some record that I lived, that I loved, that I made a mark on this place while I was here. The people I spent my time with…the things that made me laugh…the career I had…the places I’ve traveled…and now I can be remembered in the stars.