two startups one 9-5 and an MBA

WHAT IT TAKES

ALIGNMENT
it’s the alignment of everything in your life so it all points toward where you want to go.

STRATEGY
it requires an unthinkable amount of thinking, but not freezing up–you can never freeze up. it’s figuring out how to continue shining brightly without burning up.

it’s anything but easy. but do it right and easy’s how it should look.

VISION
it’s fitting puzzle pieces together before knowing their shapes. it’s observing, learning, and only then acting. it’s seeing around the bend. it’s finding ways to sneak peaks of the future by considering options.

figure out how and it makes things predictable: the future feels more like the present. the present feels more like the past. it’s easier to act when you know what’s coming up next.

SACRIFICE
it’s cutting some out who might’ve ended up meaning a lot. they’d be close if they’d been allowed to stay. it’s understanding “time well spent” isn’t more than a relative phrase.

it’s letting them fade and pressing on. it’s convincing yourself that you know best (because you do). it’s reassuring yourself that you’ll catch up with all of them again someday. right?

it’s deciding which paths you’ll choose not to take. it’s finding solace, despite knowing that things will be missed.

ACTING
it’s acting on patterns that most overlook. it’s connecting the dots–not just fucking pondering them. (it’s swearing only when you mean it).

focus your efforts on connecting the dots: it gets easier with time, and the connections you make will lead you to more.

QUESTIONS
“how does it relate?” is a powerful question. ask it about everything and go down the rabbit holes. where you end up might surprise you. it might surprise everyone else even more.

COMPANY
finding someone to bring along makes it better if and only if you’re certain it isn’t making them worse. i am unbelievably fortunate in this respect.

MORE ALIGNMENT
it’s the alignment of professional endeavors and doing many things at once without failing. one venture complements my 9-5. the other two complement each other. my time at NYU complements everything.

ACHIEVEMENT
my gpa would’ve been higher if i wasn’t so busy accomplishing things. wait… what?

LUCK
it’s benefitting from luck. if you’re born rich, it’s the luck of the draw. if you need to work for it, it’s still the luck of the draw.

experience tells me the latter comes with more draws and may do more for your soul. the former puts you ahead of the pack, sometimes for good.

REASONS
it’s being completely fearless of failure, and for a good reason–i’ve got one. if you don’t have a good reason then just stay afraid.

fearless without good reason? i suggest you check your blind spots. like now.

STRENGTH
it’s willingness to look people in the eye and tell them no without feeling regret. it’s willingness to cut ties when you’re carrying dead weight. making tough decisions separates the strong from the weak.

POWER
whether it’s better to be feared or loved will always remain a debate. it’s decisiveness that enables you to lead and sleep well each night.

history will dictate where you fall among tyrants and saints. that is, if you’re remembered at all.

SLEEP
learn how to get good sleep, then learn how much is enough. sleeping takes practice like anything else. all nighters can be exceptions, but they can’t be the rule.

if you’re good enough at what you do you’ll have time to rest and reset. anyone who disagrees has missed the point of the previous statement.

DEFENSE
it’s rarely apologizing even if you could. apologies are expensive debts that you pay off with leverage. find a better way to communicate you’re sorry if you must do it at all.

FRIENDS
it’s seeking advice. it’s not being afraid to ask. it’s remembering your friends and what they’ve done, and it’s bringing them with you whenever you can.

success is contagious and it should be shared–enjoying it alone is doing it wrong.

EDUCATION
to lead you need to read. end of story–though, not literally…

WRITING
it’s keeping a notebook (or many).

putting ideas onto paper freed my mind to wander–it must’ve known that the paper wouldn’t forget.

hoarding ideas in your mind is a misuse of valuable space. storing them elsewhere makes room for new thoughts. letting ideas go sets you free. rediscovering them someday might help you learn.

SELF-CRITICISM
it’s catching you own mistakes because you definitely make them.

see what i did there?

ASSUMPTIONS
it’s always checking your facts. always. one more time, slowly:

a l w a y s c h e c k y o u r f a c t s.
because even if it’s not, it’s your fault if you don’t.

EXCUSES
please.

DRIVE
it’s always having goals at the center of your mind and never, ever losing focus–though you’re free to change your goals at will. if things aren’t working? adjust your plans. understand sunk costs or failure is just a matter of “when?”

it’s sustaining the focus that counts. goals should encompass your aspirations while remaining malleable to your needs. they can always be changed more easily than you think.

but shatter your focus? i just hope you recover.

ENJOYMENT
it’s favoring quality over quantity and appreciating why. i wear a Rolex and drive a Porsche for reasons that would bore you to sleep. i live well enough to look forward to waking up tomorrow. i accept life’s only certainty is what already happened today.

WHAT’S POSSIBLE
i made the tie+ because i wanted something that didn’t exist. sometimes in life you must make it yourself.

TRUTH
everything is fleeting. think about it and you might agree.

BALANCE
it’s aggregating all the negatives in your life and still feeling positive.

RESULTS
if you do things right you can find a niche in this existence. with a little luck maybe you’ll do great things.

repeat this enough and you’ll start to believe it.

MEANING
it’s making your life an adventure; a work of art.

so at the end when it flashes,

you’ll enjoy what you see.

CONTINGENCY
and if things don’t work out exactly as planned?

you can always do yourself a favor:

takeiteasyThursday