Thread
Today I turned 27, a couple reflections now that I'm officially in my late 20s and my group is 5 years out of college 🤔
1/ Everyone who's successful is smart AND works their ass off. At first I thought it was a NYC work just for work-sake thing...
1/ Everyone who's successful is smart AND works their ass off. At first I thought it was a NYC work just for work-sake thing...
but if you want to get anything done you gotta put in the hours. Michael Jordan / LeBron with basketball, Tiger with golf, @pmarca @elonmusk in tech
A lot of people in gaming consider @slimborama to have top tier taste in games.
A lot of people in gaming consider @slimborama to have top tier taste in games.
But over lunch he was saying how that taste was only gained through many, many conversations with artists, designers, producers, etc. about their decisions.
It's meaningful work towards goals. Not another page for the appendix.
It's meaningful work towards goals. Not another page for the appendix.
2/ You can see glimmers of brilliance early.
Everyone's gotta start somewhere. The same brilliant hardworking friends that I admired in college are also the ones who are doing really cool stuff now: written books, become famous vloggers, worked on presidential campaigns, etc.
Everyone's gotta start somewhere. The same brilliant hardworking friends that I admired in college are also the ones who are doing really cool stuff now: written books, become famous vloggers, worked on presidential campaigns, etc.
3/ Optionality vs. conviction.
A lot of just out of college jobs / choices / location etc. is about maintaining optionality. With who you want to be friends with, with what you want to do, with where you want to live ultimately.
A lot of just out of college jobs / choices / location etc. is about maintaining optionality. With who you want to be friends with, with what you want to do, with where you want to live ultimately.
Late 20s are all about high conviction bets. Deciding who you're gonna marry. Deciding what you're going to do long term. And then doubling / tripling down.
Maintaining optionality only works for so long, and your time gets more valuable as you grow older.
Maintaining optionality only works for so long, and your time gets more valuable as you grow older.
4/ Manifesting your best life.
God LA has rubbed off on me. But once you have conviction in something, you really need to be proactive about realizing that goal. Be it where you want to live, what you want to do, the people your surround yourself with, etc.
God LA has rubbed off on me. But once you have conviction in something, you really need to be proactive about realizing that goal. Be it where you want to live, what you want to do, the people your surround yourself with, etc.
It's easy to get lost in the day to day of the job. And hard to be proactive about the relationships you want to build and the family/friends you want to see.
That's why I've been actively planning trips with friends. Who knows how many years we'll have left before kids hit.
That's why I've been actively planning trips with friends. Who knows how many years we'll have left before kids hit.
5/ Cherish the time.
In the years since college, my grandfather passed away and my grandmother's Alzheimer's has gotten worse. You don't appreciate it when you have it, the day to day joy of relationships.
And sometimes you realize that it's gone oh so quickly.
In the years since college, my grandfather passed away and my grandmother's Alzheimer's has gotten worse. You don't appreciate it when you have it, the day to day joy of relationships.
And sometimes you realize that it's gone oh so quickly.
Addendum: It’s cool to be passionate about something.
It was so different moving from McKinsey to Riot and seeing the level of passion about the job. Consultants will describe to you loving the people, the travel, the intellectual stimulation, etc.
It was so different moving from McKinsey to Riot and seeing the level of passion about the job. Consultants will describe to you loving the people, the travel, the intellectual stimulation, etc.
But dig in and it’s likely more about the money and prestige and access. True of much of NYC finance.
Go to Riot and people have been playing the game for decades, living and breathing the lore. It’s their dream to work on a beloved product and move it forward for players
Go to Riot and people have been playing the game for decades, living and breathing the lore. It’s their dream to work on a beloved product and move it forward for players
Sometimes I just appreciate how lucky I am to literally get paid to playtest and diligence games for a living
