I've lived in 7 cities on 4 continents. I worked at Twitter through its IPO. I gave a lot of my 20's to startups I believed in, including one which I sold. I've enjoyed some success and grown a lot through failure — here's what I've learned about myself.
I like to work with people who care.
I seek teams that fail fast and exchange thoughtful feedback. I tend to find this when interests are aligned by shared passion— maybe IPOing Twitter, maybe training a cohort of students.
I strive to be intellectually, emotionally and physically authentic.
Each day I journal, meditate and exercise to remind myself what it feels like to be unafraid to think, feel or act freely.
I like to question whether I'm solving the right problem.
I won't fix bugs when a new app is needed. I won't build an app when a new business is needed. I won't build a business when I can support existing ones doing the same thing.
My biggest challenge is finding balance.
Living my life as described above makes me really happy, but sometimes I go too far.
Sometimes seeking continuous feedback leads me to solve shallow problems. Sometimes I try to be authentic and end up acting thoughtless. Sometimes my bias towards action causes me to give up on good ideas too soon.
物极必反. I seek moderation, knowing I'll never really get there, but I'll be happier if I try.