Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
— Robert Frost
No lie, just know I chose my own fate
I drove by the fork in the road and went straight
— Jay Z
- Competition is for losers, carve your own path
- Mediocrity and irrelevance is a fate worse than death
- Risk is the price of admission to achieve anything of note
- It's not the journey or the destination, it's the company
- Always say thank you and pay it forward
- Nobody cares, find a way to get it done
- Curiosity is the key to understanding the world
- Getting to 90% means you're half way done
- Always embrace the adventure of the unknown
- Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth
- It's about getting it right, not being right
- It is not the critic who counts, the credit belongs to the man in the arena
- Only the paranoid survive
- Substance over status wins in the long run
- Morons can tear anything down; it takes skill to build up
- Your boos mean nothing, I've seen what makes you cheer
- Being alone is different than being wrong
- "On average" only applies to average people
- Maniacal focus is a prerequisite for greatness
- Limits and fears are nothing but illusions
- If you get the desired result the process was adequate
- Conventional wisdom will get you conventional results
- Power law applies to everything, plan your life accordingly
- Nothing in life is promised other than death
While I am proud of my minor achievements up to this point, I know that I am yet to craft my Magnum Opus. What that will be I still don't know, but I am grateful to be surrounded by incredible people and to have the opportunity to live in a time and place where I can make my mark on the world. The journey and cast of characters I have met up to this point has been nothing short of incredible, I have had some incredible experiences and opportunities, none of which I could have ever scripted myself.
Am I grateful? Yes.
Am I happy? Sometimes.
Am I satisfied? Never.
CJ