I grew up in Oak Park - a nice Chicago suburb wedged between the poor and the rich.

As the youngest, my childhood was filled with learning. My brother Paul taught me hard work and determination. My brother John taught me benevolence & humility. My sister Maureen taught me connection & emotional intelligence. My Mom taught me curiosity & authenticity. And my Dad taught me logical reasoning & gratitude.

Despite that — I was an ultra-competitive, attention-needing, know-it-all shithead from 0-14 years old. I eroded all of the meaningful relationships around me. Friends, family, teachers. It didn’t matter. Through a series of life-changing events, timely books, & honest conversations with myself — I turned it around my freshman year of high school. I began to prioritize personal growth, meaningful connection, fitness, & emotional intelligence. I also lived by the motto “make someone’s day every day”.

Still do.

My high school experience was also filled with tons of diversity. I played sports with rich & poor teammates. I studied with white & black classmates. I partied with nerdy & athletic friends. And I volunteered with Catholic & Atheist neighbors.

It was beautifully holistic.

I graduated with a child-like curiosity to explore and a skillset to connect with anyone. I also left with a sense of duty — a duty to use my privilege and take career bets that positively impact the world.

Why?

Because I met a lot people far smarter than me who simply didn’t have the resources to pursue what they want. They were dealt a bad hand.

I wasn’t. I got really f*cking lucky. As wealthy white American man with a supportive family, I know I was dealt pocket rockets. You better believe I’m going to use that hand to stack the deck for future generations.

That said, let’s recap high school and move onto college.

Like 8 of my 10 recent college-educated relatives, I took my talents to UIUC. ILL baby! Long story short, it’s been one hell of a ride. I started in Engineering Undeclared - a program that allowed me to choose from any engineering major. I ultimately decided on Industrial Engineering because it gave me a general engineering skillset & ample time for to pursue outside-the-classroom passions. That available time led me to more formative experiences & personal growth.

My growth through each semester has been distinct. But, they all followed the same directional arrow of holistic growth. All involved my 4 words: authenticity, connection, growth, & exploration. And all have made me more grateful.

To be clear, I am not a golden goose who can do no wrong. I’ve still got lots of growing to do. I know very little about how the world works. And I am barely starting to understand what makes me tick. That said, I know a lot more than I did a few years ago.

Now, where will these experiences lead me to in my career? I don’t totally know. Nor do I want to know. I’m confident I’m on the right path. But to me, medium term plans are dangerous. I want to think in decades & take action in days. And ideally, the things I do now lead to unpredictable outcomes. That said, I still have a few hypotheses on what my post-grad life may look like…

Generally, I’d like to become 3 things: (1) A “thinker” who improves many peoples lives through teaching. (2) A badass business builder who works with great people. (3) A person with the internal awareness and financial flexibility to change their life approach (if needed).

As of now, I know I’m good at 4 things: (1) Connecting with people. (2) Explaining complex ideas. (3) Getting operational shit done. (4) Learning fast.

And I know I care about 3 things in my first job: (1) Building relationships with great people. (2) Learning a lot about how to run great businesses. (3) Being in a culture where it is fun to come to work.

I could see myself thriving in a chief of staff / sales type of role working for a Series A-B startup or an entrepreneur I admire. Probably based in San Francisco or NYC. And ideally building the future of education, wellness, community, climate, blockchain, or investing.

During that time, I also hope to make a good chunk of change, build assets that cashflow, and keep my burn rate low. I think that will help me live a flexibile life where I have the space to go on side quests of life, take sabbaticals, and honestly evaluate if I’m still on my authentic path.

Then, I’ll use that time & experience to pursue my noble mission. I want to tackle a problem that, if solved, can 100x the future of humanity. I’ve only got 3-5 shots on goal to punch my dent in the universe. So I want to go big. For what it’s worth, I’m also actively questioning if “big” is good. I could be wrong about what I really want. That said..

Now, I know that’s a lot to ask for. But I think I can pull it off by spending my time doing 3 things: (1) honing in on a rare and valuable skillset, (2) building leverage, & (3) pursuing asymmetric opportunities.

At the end of the day, spending time doing the bare minimum at a soulless, clock-in clock-out big corporation is not for me. I want to build meaningful things with long-term, positive-sum, high-energy people. Whether those things come in the form of product, company, community, content, or experiences… we’ll see!

Right now — I’m just pursuing my genuine intellectual curiosity, meeting awesome people, and enjoying the ride!

Many people spend most of their time doing things they don’t really enjoy for reasons they can’t articulate. We all work too much, fall into mimetic traps, do bullshit jobs and all kinds of other busy-work type stuff.

Personally, I’m terrified of unconsciously drifting through an inauthentic life. So, I read. I reflect. I listen to smart people. And I try to be present as much as possible.

I also surround myself with friends who define success for themselves, grab the universe by the balls, and make their dream a reality. I highly recommend.

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